Someday (A fanfiction about Leo Valdez's future)
by supworld
Summary: What if you could see into the future? What would it hold? This is the question Piper experiences each night in her dreams. She dreams of the future. Strangely, it isn't her own she sees, but her best friend Leo's. Why? Was this a sign she was going crazy? Or did they have a purpose? Meet Leo's future kids and their epic journey into the past where they fight to make things right.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is my first time writing fanfiction for anyone so I'm a little nervous of what you guys will think of this. I'm not the best writer out there, so bear with me. Once you get going, the story will develop and you will hopefully enjoy it enough to want more. I had a great time writing this and I hope you guys will like it.**

 **So, basically, I came up with the idea to write about Leo Valdez's future and what it might be like. I know the amount of kids he has might seem unrealistic, but hey... It can happen. Besides, I picture him with a large family. Thing is, it isn't only about his future, but his present life at Camp Half-Blood as well. I really liked grouping the two time periods together and I think you will too. (Hopefully! :D)**

 **I don't want to spoil anything, so before I give myself the chance of that happening, I want to point out a few things. Firstly, I don't speak Spanish, so if any of you out there do, and find some Spanish in here that doesn't seem quite right or maybe doesn't even make sense, I will have you know I had to rely on Google Translate. My apologize if they aren't the way they should be.**

 **Also, feel free to comment on my story in any way you wish. I will gladly accept pointers and any other suggestions on making my story better.**

 **Okay. Enough of my ongoing chatter. Time for the story. Here goes...**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
I do not own any of the Heroes of the Olympus characters. Credit goes to the wonderful (and slightly evil) author of the series, Rick Riordan. I own the kids though. :D**

* * *

 **~Piper's POV~**

Piper sat with her siblings at the Aphrodite table in the dining pavilion. As usual, she was growing annoyed by their constant chatter about how well their makeup turned out today or anything they could to pull the attention amongst themselves. She, Katie, and Ben were the only ones who refused to join those conversations. They didn't care any two cents on how they looked and the others knew it. There was no way Piper was going to get sucked into any conversations that consisted of cosmetics and/or hair products. They knew this also and found out the hard way that they shouldn't force her. Dealing with a charmspeaker didn't often end well for them.

"I wish they would just give it up," Katie grumbled. "Cosmetics are the only things they talk about. I want to puke."

Piper tried to hide her smile. "Same."

"Oh, except for Drew."

"What?"

"Drew's talking about another unlucky man on her leash she won't let go of. Poor Bruce."

"She likes Bruce?" Piper asked with honest shock. "I never pictured her ever chasing him down. He's not even that good looking."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Please, she's only after him because he said she looked nice a few days ago."

"Hey, he might actually like her back if he said that."

She laughed at the idea. "We were dressed up for that evening party, remember? He told all the girls they looked nice that night, and let me stress the word _nice_. That's all he said and poor Drew took it the wrong way. You'd assume she would actually know if he likes her or not."

"Maybe she picked up on something you didn't," Piper suggested after taking a bite of her vegan lasagna.

"Piper, I was standing there beside her the whole time. He even told me I looked nice while Drew was there to hear it. I have no idea why she decided to form a crush on him, but at least he isn't some handsome disaster like all the others."

"Yet."

Smirking together, Chiron cut in to announce the evening games and the night went on.

* * *

That night, Piper had the strangest dream. She found herself standing in the middle of a remarkably clean modern home with beautiful flowers or different types of plants displayed in various vases placed on many surfaces from atop the fireplace, the coffee table, and even the kitchen counters. The couch and matching loveseats circling around the fireplace looked quite comfortable considering they were white leather, and there was a very comfortable throw rug underneath all of that that looked so soft, Piper was sure her toes would sink right down into it. Outstanding art hung on the walls, giving the gentle blue and white walls a flash of color that brought the whole place to life. If she was able to have a home like the one she was standing in, Piper would grab it without even the slightest hesitation.

Suddenly, from somewhere down the long hall, a chorus of voices talked over each other.

"I want pink streamers and pink balloons and a pink cake and pink presents and pink decorations and…"

"No! Green streamers and green balloons and green cake—"

"I want pink!"

"Green!"

"It's not only your birthday party you know! It's mine too!"

"But I don't like pink! Pink is a girl color!"

"Boys can like pink!"

Soon enough, two small children of around seven came bounding into the open room all dressed up for what must be their birthday party, one in jeans and a T-shirt, and the other in a dress. On behalf of being brother and sister (from what Piper assumed), they looked almost identical with their honey-colored hair, brown eyes, a small scatter of freckles on their noses, and were even the same height. They were obviously twins.

Following the two, came another two children, though these two were of different ages; one maybe four and the other around twelve. The older one looked most like the squabbling twins with his warm honey-toned hair and his freckles, but the younger one was very different. He had dark curly hair with big brown eyes, tanner skin, and pointed ears. This little boy looked so much like Leo, it was insane…

The next person to come out from the hall, was a man who seemed to be around his mid-thirties with the same dark, curly hair, brown eyes, and pointed ears. He was carrying a couple boxes with decoration supplies.

A thought came to Piper that made her head spin. This…this couldn't be… _Leo_ …could it? How could he still stay thin like that after all those years? Normally people went south after starting a family. Clearly this wasn't the case for him. He was still quite thin, though a little more buff.

Grown-up Leo placed the boxes on the kitchen table. "Hey, you two behave or else I'm putting these decorations away and canceling the party all together."

Wow, his voice grew a lot warmer here. Instead of having that still-developing teenage voice, Leo's voice had turned quite pleasing to the ear, making Piper want him to say something more. Without even knowing her wish, he granted it.

"Liam, why don't you and Milo take the streamers and liven this place up, huh? Make this party come to life!" Leo suggested.

That facial hair though! It wasn't very much, but seeing a goatee planted on his chin was so abnormal to what Piper was used to seeing, and it actually looked really good. Dare she say it, he looked hot with it!

"Okay, Dad," said the older boy and he looked inside the boxes. Pulling a few colorful roles out, he handed some to the little boy who looked like a miniature Leo.

"Oh," Leo suddenly said and grabbed them from them. "I'll cut the pieces for you."

Watching him cut long strips Piper wondered why the older boy couldn't just do it. He was old enough to do it himself.

"There you go bud," he grinned and handed them a stack of long, colorful, streamer spaghetti. "The tape is where it usually is."

The two boys nodded and began to decorate the house.

"Now, Lily, Noah, what do you guys want to do to get everything ready?"

The two twins looked at each other with challenging glances.

"I don't want do anything with him," Lily pouted.

"And I don't want to do anything with her," Noah grumbled back.

Leo tilted his head with a shrug. "That's too bad," he said causally. "After all, it's your guys' party."

"Well I'm still not doing anything with her!" the little boy declared. "She doesn't want green."

"You don't want pink!" Lily yelled at him. "Boys can like pink too, right Daddy?"

"Sure," he grinned with an amusing look. "Boys can like pink and girls can like green."

"But I don't!" the twins shouted in unison.

He narrowed his eyes and pretended to speak into an earpiece. "Houston, we have a problem. The twins are disagreeing once again. Whatever can we do to avoid any further disaster?" Then his face brightened up and he pointed a finger into the air like he had an idea. "Hey, here's a suggestion! Why not make the decorations both pink and green! Or maybe blue and yellow! Or orange and purple! Or…" his grin grew a little. "Or maybe red and blue?"

"I want red!" Lily suddenly exclaimed. "Red is like pink!"

Noah, on the other hand, looked unconvinced. "If she likes it, it's probably too much of a girl color."

"Ah," Leo grinned and crouched down to his height. "But it isn't. Red is a boy's and girl's color. Do you know what my favorite color is?"

"Green."

He laughed. "That's _your_ favorite color. _My_ favorite color is red."

"Really?"

"Oh, you bet! Red is the best color since man discovered rainbows!"

"I want red!"

Leo ruffled his hair and stood back up. "Good, cause most of the decorations are from Valentine's Day."

"Oh no!" Noah groaned. "Now we're gonna have hearts and flowers everywhere!"

"I like flowers! Mom does too!" Lily chimed up.

"But that's because you two are girls!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Enough!" Leo declared with a stern tone. "You two have been arguing about boys and girls ever since you had permission to have a party. Now, your mother and I only agreed on putting this thing on if you two were willing to help out and behave. You both gave your words on it and right now it looks like you're breaking it. If you want your mother and me to host this thing, you two are going to have to make up, right now."

It was so odd for Piper to see him so serious. Normally the guy would find something to joke about instead of punishing, but she supposed after looking after four children, he would've had to learn that there were other ways to handle things.

Lily and Noah challenged each other to say something else, but when neither of them did, they nodded and apologized. "Sorry," they said in unison.

"Are the decorations still gonna have hearts and flowers?" Noah whined.

"No," Leo said with a softer tone. "Lucky for you, we don't have to use them."

With everything settled down, they dug in and began to decorate, starting in the kitchen. Everything seemed to be working great.

Just as they finished placing the paper plates and cups at the table in the dining room for each expecting guest, Piper heard more movement coming down the stairs. With surprise, she saw two more of his children rushing downstairs (he had _six_ _kids?!_ Busy guy!). These two were both girls and of an older age, clearly entering into their early teenage years. Both had curly black hair and darker skin like Leo, only the oldest one shared his pointed ears and her hair was shorter than her sister's.

When Leo heard them running down the stairs, he looked up at them with decorations in his hands. "Sophia, Olivia, I thought you guys left an hour ago. What were you two doing up there?" Discretely, he stuck a bow on the back of Milo's shirt without him noticing. He smirked a little.

Yup, that was Leo kicking in.

The younger one shrugged. "We thought we'd just head out a little later. We like arriving punctually late."

Leo laughed at them. "I have never heard of punctually late before!" he hooted. "Don't you mean _fashionably_ late? That was an oxymoron if I've ever heard one! Punctually late! Ha! That's a good one!"

"Whatever," she grumbled. "We're leaving now."

"Wait, who are you going with? Obviously Meggie and Carly left without you. I saw them walking past a while ago. I had assumed you went out to meet them."

"Why does it matter?"

"Dad, Liam's shoe's untied again!" one of the kids called.

"I'll be with you in a minute," he shooed. "What do you mean it doesn't matter? I want to know who you're going with."

"Just some friends," the younger one offered. "Really, Dad, it's fine."

"If it's fine, you can tell me. Who are you going with?"

"Honestly, Dad!" the oldest rolled her eyes. "You've seen us hanging out with them before! You don't have to worry!"

"Daddy!" Lily cried out from the kitchen.

"I said I would help now just be patient please! Sophia, who are you talking about? What friends?"

"Alex and Taylor!"

"Girls, I hope?"

"Dad! Who cares?! You've seen them before! So has mom! Stop acting like this is a big deal!"

"Where have we seen them?"

"At the school play!" the younger one said with exasperation.

"There were a lot of people there, Olivia. Your mom and I were stuck in a crowded audience. Which friends are these?"

From the kitchen, Piper could see the kids fighting over something from the decoration box while Liam sat on one of the chairs holding his shoes in his hands and moaning at them. Something didn't seem right with him, she discovered. The way she saw him moving around and acting wasn't normal behavior for a person his age.

"Alex and Taylor! I told you!" Sophia sighed. "Please, can we just leave now?"

"They're boys, aren't they?"

"So what?!" Sophia asked with clear annoyance. "Yes, they're boys! Why does it matter?"

 _"Why does it matter?"_ he asked, baffled. "It matters because you two are my daughters and I care about you! I don't know who these people are!"

"You just don't remember them!"

He was silent for a second before asking another question. "Are they those two troublemakers who kept tagging along at your guys' orientation last year?"

"They weren't troublemakers, and yes. See? You've met them."

"DADDY!" the kids cried from the kitchen and there was a loud crash.

He turned around in a hurry to find a shattered flower vase lying on the ground, spilling water everywhere. Lily and Noah stood there with a torn sign in their hands, guilty as charged for the accident.

"What are you doing?!" Leo yelled at them. "I told you to behave! Now look at what you've done!"

"I'm sorry," Lily sobbed and ran to her room. Noah just stood there with Milo off to the side, staring at the mess.

"What are you just standing there for?! Get a towel and clean it up!" Leo shouted before turning back to the door where his daughters were…only they weren't there anymore and the front door was wide open. "They actually think they can sneak out, do they?" he grumbled under his breath before running after them. Sure enough, he found them jogging up to two young teen guys walking up to their place, smiling and waving at them.

With a devious look, one Piper knew all too well, Leo walked out the door and caught up to them. With a forced grin, he offered a friendly nod as he ignored the glares from his daughters and directed his attention on the boys. "Afternoon. I don't think we've met, have we?"

They hesitantly shook their heads. "No, but I know who you are, Mr. Valdez," one of them offered.

"Well that's great!" Leo forced his grin to grow bigger and offered his hand. "It's nice to meet you…"

"Alex," one said and shook his hand.

"Taylor," the other replied and copied his friend's movements.

"Alex and Taylor," Leo repeated clearly trying hard not grit his teeth in front of them.

"Dad," Sophia utter under her breath. "Go away! Leave us alone!"

"Where are you guys heading again?" he asked as if he hadn't heard a thing.

The one who introduced himself as Taylor shifted his weight on his feet. "Uh…there's a party just at the beach. Nothing big. We were just picking Sophia and Olivia up…if that's okay with you, Mr. Valdez?"

"A party?" he asked like he had no idea this was going on, when in fact, Piper knew he knew about it. "Hey, that sounds like a lot of fun! Surfing, ice cream, sun…pretty girls…"

Everyone's faces grew red.

"Yeah, it'll be fun. So, can they come?" Alex asked.

"Oh sure! Of course! Go ahead! You'll have a great time!"

"Really?" both girls asked with shock. "We can go?"

"Well, why not?!" Leo shrugged as if it was no big deal. "The beach filled with young teenagers who have free rage over the place with little to no adult supervision? It's a teens dream, isn't it? Why not embrace it and go with the flow? Everyone else is doing it! You might as well go along and follow what all the cool kids are doing! Maybe they'll even accept you into their circle! Of course! Go ahead! Have fun! It's a great day for it!"

The atmosphere grew awkward and uncomfortable. All four teens looked ready to either run away or fall to their knees in forgiveness for ever thinking of the idea to go to this gathering anyway.

"So…we can go?" Taylor asked with extreme hesitation.

"I've said yes enough times," Leo grinned.

"Okay, thanks," he said with relief, and they all started off in shock.

"Oh, you know what?" Leo called out last second. "When you guys said party, I had a feeling I was being reminded of something and now it's just popped up into my head. It's Olivia and Sophia's sibling's birthday party today as well! Isn't that a coincidence? Poor Lily and Noah wouldn't want you two to leave them on their special day! I guess it doesn't work to go to the beach with you guys today after all! Sorry about that!"

The four teens stopped in their tracks and looked at each other like they were all secretly saying _Are you kidding me?_

"Oh," Taylor said. "Okay. Maybe some other time then?"

"We'll see," Leo nodded, "but we are a very busy family, you know? With seven kids, there's a lots of running around. I'm sure you can understand."

 _Seven_ kids?! Piper thought there were only six! Leo and his wife had had an agenda…

They nodded. "Yeah, we understand," Alex uttered bitterly.

"Good," Leo grinned like they had just finished talking about his latest mechanic invention, which he was always more than eager to brag about. "Have a good day and have fun!"

Once the boys turned and walked away, both girls turned on their heels and stormed off back into the house without a single word to him.

Oh, those early teenage years. Piper remembered them well. She had thought she was on top of the world and whatever she had to say was enough to take control of the situation…but of course it did because of her charmspeak ability, but you get the point. Sophia and Olivia were more than upset with their father, but Piper could see Leo's point of view. He was protective of his daughters and stopping them from going off to some beach party with two strangers, and boys especially, was out of the question. She wouldn't have let them go either.

Back in the house, Leo found the mess being cleaned up the best it could by a four and seven-year-old. The flowers were put into a new vase, though there were still leaves scattered all over the floor, and water was being left behind where they couldn't see. Still, even though he was the oldest in the room, Liam sat there on his chair, mumbling about his shoes.

"Daddy," Milo said and ran up to him and gave him a big hug, the bow still stuck on his shirt.

Leo hugged him back. "Thanks for cleaning everything up. We only a have a few more hours until everyone gets here." He then turned his attention to Liam and he sighed with a hint of frustration. "Liam, just because your shoelaces loosened, didn't mean you had to take both shoes completely off."

His son just sat there and nodded. "Okay."

With another sigh, Leo walked up and began to help him back into his shoes.

It was then that Piper realized what was wrong with Liam. The twelve-year-old had autism. She hadn't been able to place her finger on it before by just looking at him, but watching how he acted gave it all away. That was why Leo had cut the streamers and had to tie his shoes for him. Man, he must be a busy guy with all his kids. Did he have a job on top of all this? He must have seeing how large his family is, but it confused her why she hadn't seen his wife anywhere; and where was this seventh child of his?

Leo finished and stood back up to look around. "Where's Lily?" he asked the others.

"In her room," Noah said as he dumped a handful of leaves into the garbage bin.

"Her room? Why is she…oh," he suddenly remembered and turned to go walk down the hall. He stopped in front of a white door with two different posters taped to it. One read Lily's Room in childish crayon, and the other read Noah's Room in the same sloppy crayon penmanship.

He knocked gently on the door. " _Mi pequeña flor_? (My little flower)" he said softly. "Can I come in?"

"Go away!" a little voice shouted.

"Lily, I didn't mean to get mad. I was just a little preoccupied at the moment with your sisters."

"You yelled again."

"I'm sorry. I know how much you hate that. Daddy just lost his temper and it all came out the wrong way. I didn't mean to. Can you forgive me?"

There was a silence from behind the door before it suddenly creaked open. Behind it was little Lily with a tear-streaked face and messy hair. She had obviously been lying in her bed. "I forgive you," she murmured.

After letting him into the room, Leo crouched down to her level and held her face lovingly. "You understand why I got mad though, right?"

"Me and Noah were fighting again. _Lo siento_. (I'm sorry)"

He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I forgive you. See? We can all have bad days, can't we? We have to make sure though, that when we do, we apologize as soon as we can right after so it can turn into a good day again."

She nodded and lowered her gaze. "Should I say sorry to Noah?"

"That sounds like a really grownup thing to do," he said and ran his hand through her soft hair. He cringed at it slightly. "But first, if you are going to have your friends here, I think you're going to need to fix your hair."

Lily brightened up. "Can you braid if for me, _Papi_? Please?"

"Okay, but only if you promise not to take it out as soon as I put it in because—and I quote: _it felt like it was coming out_ _anyway_. I know you."

"But I like when you braid my hair."

"You are going to keep it in," he ordered with a smirk.

"Okay."

He lifted her up and placed her on the bed so he could sit behind her. Then dividing the sections of hair, he started with the very top of her head and Dutch braided it. Piper was highly impressed. She had no idea Leo knew how to braid, and so well too. It was so nice and neat; not like those simple messy braids Jason tried in her hair. When she woke up, Piper was going to have to put him to the test.

When he finished, Leo lifted her off of the bed again and stood.

" _Gracias papi!_ (Thanks, Daddy)," she beamed and hugged his waist before running off to find Noah.

Leo's grin faded slightly. "Wish things could still be so simple with Sophia and Olivia."

* * *

The scene shifted to later that day when the house was filled with party guest. Parents sat with Leo and his wife (Piper should've guessed it would've been Calypso…Awwwwww!) with their youngest on her lap. This surprise child was once again, a miniature of Leo. Her soft dark hair was pulled up into adorable pigtails, showing off her little curls that twisted in the cutest little ringlets. With such a baby face, she must be only two at the very most and she was clearly shy. The whole time, she had her face hidden into her mother's shoulder except to occasionally smile at a passing guest.

And….wait…. Was Calypso _pregnant?!_ They were going to have _eight_ kids?! Was ten their goal or something?! From the looks of it, she must've been in her later months, like maybe her seventh month. She was pretty round.

While the parents talked in the living room, Piper could see a glimpse of the children all playing Duck, Duck, Goose in the backyard except for Liam, who sat closely to Leo's side with nervous glances around the room. His arms were wrapped around his father for familiarity and Leo kept his arm around him to comfort him.

The scene then shifted again and the house was darker with the lights turned on. Everyone was sitting at the table in the dining room having supper, the decorations long gone and put away except for the random balloon here or there. Goodness, with a family of nine, the table was loaded and the noise that came from it was unbelievable. Leo, as the father, sat at the head, while Calypso sat at the other end and the children all squeezed in on the sides the best they could.

"And Jack told me his family's getting a new puppy!" Noah declared with a mouthful of quesadilla. "They're going to name him Cowboy! Isn't that a cool name?"

"Daddy, can we get a dog too?" Milo chimed in with a beaming little elvish face. Piper wanted to melt! All his kids were so incredibly adorable! And to think, Leo probably looked exactly like little Milo when he was a little four-year-old. Piper wanted his baby pictures to compare.

"You know we can't, honey," Calypso said from across the table. "Olivia's allergic and so is Liam. You can have a fish though, right darling?" she asked Leo.

"A fish?" Leo asked like she was insane. "Cal, no one likes fish! You can't even play with them! All they do is swim around all day in a little tank." He thought a moment. "Man, lonely life. I would hate to be a fish…unless I was in the ocean. Uh…maybe not even then cause of the sharks—"

"Leo," she cut in with a stern face. "You really aren't helping."

"Sorry," and he took a bite of his loaded quesadilla. "No, Milo. We can't get a dog. We're allergic."

Milo frowned with disappointment. "Okay."

"What about a turtle?" Noah asked with enthusiasm. "I want a turtle."

"Ew!" Lily scrunched her face. "I don't want a turtle! Their yucky!"

"That's just because you're a girl…"

"Noah," Leo cut in again. "We talked about this."

The twins apologized and turned their attention to their food.

"Yucky turtle," said the little two-year-old.

Everyone looked at her with surprise and laughed.

"Okay, according to Anita, I think turtles are out of the question," Leo smirked.

"Are we actually getting a pet?" Olivia asked.

Leo looked up at her and froze. Neither she nor Sophia had talked at all this evening after the episode they had had in front of their crushes. With a glance at Calypso, Leo cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "I don't know. It's a big responsibility to take care of a pet…if we are to get one, but there's no promise. You guys also have to consider the allergies Liam has to most animals so finding one that we can all agree on will be difficult."

"I want a snake," Olivia suggested. "We don't have to let him out. We'll just keep it in its cage."

"A snake?" Calypso and Leo asked in unison.

"Why on earth do you want a snake?" her mother declared with an unpleased expression.

"Because they're cool. We learned a bunch about them at school on Thursday and I think I could take care of it no problem."

"But snakes are yuckier than turtles!" Lily complained with a whiny tone. "Daddy, don't let her get a snake!"

"We're not getting a snake," he agreed. He shivered at the idea, showing how much he disliked the very thought of those creatures. "After the experiences I've had personally with those things, I don't think I could live peacefully knowing there was even one in the house."

"Same," Calypso uttered as she helped Anita wipe her mouth.

"Lizards then?" Olivia pressed.

"I like lizards," Milo grinned with a mouthful of food. "We can call it Lizzy!"

"Lizzy the lizard? No way."

Leo placed his hands on the table. "Do you think we can get out of the reptilian section? And why are we talking like we are actually getting a pet? I didn't say we were."

"Please, can we?" Noah, Lily, Milo, and Olivia asked with pleading faces. Even Liam and their little Anita looked at him with big eyes.

Resting his head on his hand as he placed his elbow on the table, Leo looked at his wife. After an agreement made with only a simple look of the eye, he sighed. "Tell you what: If you guys can behave and show that you have responsibility around the house, to show respect between your siblings and to your parents, you're mom and I will think about it."

"Really?! Woohoo! We're going to get a pet!" Noah cheered and stood on his chair to do a short victory dance before being pulled back into sitting position by his sister.

"Your father said we will think about it," Calypso reminded him. "Now eat your supper."

"We're getting a pet!" Milo echoed with utter glee.

That whole discussion must have lifted everyone's mood, because after that, supper was done in no time and the little ones even asked to help with the dishes, which Calypso gladly accepted. The only ones that remained without even a chance to help out was Leo, Liam, Olivia, and Sophia. As imagined, the table was quiet for a while before Leo dared to bring the subject up.

"About today," he started with a quiet tone. "Why did you two tell to me you were going with Carly and Meggie today and then change plans without any of my consent?"

Sophia groaned with annoyance. "This again? Really, Dad?"

"Really, Sophia. Why did you do it?"

"Because we knew you'd act like this if you ever found out."

"So the best thing to do was sneak behind both your parents' backs with those two boys, whom I will remind you we don't know anything about, just to go to some immature teen beach party? If you had just _told_ me who you wanted to go with before secretly making arrangements, you two would've been able to avoid a punishment."

"I don't understand you!" Sophia complained. "You agreed to let us go to this _immature_ _teen_ _beach_ _party_ with Carly and Meggie before! Who cares if we were with two other friends instead of the original ones?! Give me three good reasons why you are acting like this!"

Leo's temper was clearly beginning to rise by the small flame he quickly killed on his shoulder. He listed off on his fingers in a surprising calm yet intimidatingly stern voice. "Number one: Carly and Meggie are both kids we know. Number two: They were going with their parents, so I would've felt safe knowing there was adult supervision. Number three: You had asked both your mother and I if it was okay to go with them. Now give _me_ three reasons why _you're_ acting like this."

Sophia huffed with anger. "Because this is stupid, none of this would've been a problem if you would've just let us go, and you're being a big—"

"Being a what?!" Leo stood quickly with a chilling look on his face as he slammed his hands on the table. It really didn't help when flames literally came to life on the tops of his hands. "I _dare_ you to finish that sentence! Come on! Let's hear it! What am I?! Say it!"

Naturally, she just pouted in her seat and refused to look at him. "No."

"Oh, now you don't want to say it! Well let _me_ tell you something, young lady: Go to your room!" he shouted and pointed out of the dining room. "Now!"

"You can't treat me like a child!" she yelled back. "I'm fourteen!"

"And I'm twenty years older and to top that off, I'm your father so of _course_ I can treat you like a child, especially when you're acting like one!"

"You just don't get it!" she shouted and pushed herself away from the table and stood with such force the flower vase on the table nearly fell. That would've been the second vase broken that day.

 _"I don't get it?!"_ he asked bewildered. "Sophia, I don't like the way you're treating me right now! You're acting like you own the world and I, your father, am only a mere peasant! The world doesn't circle around you, you know! You are a human on this earth like all the rest of us!"

"Well maybe you're a monster!" she seethed and ran passed to her room upstairs, leaving the rest of them shell-shocked at her behavior.

From one of the chairs, Liam began to sob and Leo cursed under his breath in Spanish. He sat in the chair next to him and pulled him onto his lap and into an embrace. " _Lo siento_ (I'm sorry)," he whispered in his ear and kissing the side of his head. " _No deberías haber tenido que escuchar eso. Lo siento._ (You shouldn't have had to listen to that. I'm sorry)"

After a while of rocking him in his arms, another silent sob came from across the table. Leo looked up to see Olivia sitting there with her head down and quickly wiping tears away. "Olivia, come here," he said and motioned for her to join them. "Don't cry. I don't want to make you cry."

Olivia stood and made her way to him on the other end of the table. After he pulled back from Liam, who was already collected enough to sit on his own, Leo pulled her onto his lap and held her close as she sobbed into his shoulder. He rubbed her back and soothed her like she were still a small child and she hugged him tighter. "I'm sorry," she muffled in his shirt. "I don't like fighting."

"Neither do I," he sighed.

When she pulled back she asked, "Do I really have to be grounded for a month?"

"Olivia," Leo reasoned. "You were a big part in this too, you know. It wasn't all Sophia."

She nodded.

"I'm only doing this because I love both you and your sister very much. It's a lesson you two need to learn and it won't be learned without a punishment you can remember. Understand?"

"I understand," Olivia murmured and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to go up to my room now too."

"Okay," he nodded with a small smile and watched her leave. When she was gone, he looked over at Liam and touched the side of his face, rubbing his thumb against him. "You okay too, bud?"

He nodded and kissed his cheek just like Olivia had.

"Good," Leo grinned, trying to bring that lively energy back. "Now, my young chap, go forth and finish those evening chores or no pets."

That earned him a funny laugh from the boy and off he went after a quick hug.

Leo then stood and walked into the kitchen were Calypso stood with a pen tapping against her bottom lip while staring down at a note pad.

"Do we need any more eggs?" she asked with her back facing him while in the middle of writing a grocery list.

"I don't know," he sighed and rubbed his face as he leaned against the cupboard. When he took his hands away, he looked more than exhausted from all the drama that had happened today.

Calypso turned around and crossed her arms with concern. "What was that all about?"

Leo made a face. "Well, when you were out getting the cake with Anita, I was decorating the place with the kids when Sophia and Olivia came down from their rooms ready to leave for this party. I had honestly thought they had left an hour earlier with Carly and Meggie because I saw them walking past the house. Apparently, though, the girls had made secret plans with a pair of boys to come pick them up instead so they could hang out with _them_ at the party."

"Which boys?" Calypso asked with knit eyebrows.

"Exactly," he replied with his hands spread. "Anyway, the girls were convinced we knew them because we had apparently met these two boys at the school play. Now, I know you don't remember meeting them because I sure the hell don't, but it turns out they are the same boys who tagged along from the orientation thing last year."

"Oh no," she mumbled. "Are we having boy problems already?"

Shrugging, he continued. "I tried talking to them just now and Sophia blew up in my face. Olivia took it better; she even apologized, but I grounded them for a month. There is no way in hell I'm letting them get away with what they did, especially with how they talked to me."

Seeing how worn he was, Calypso walked up and wrapped her arms around him in a hug and rested her head on his shoulder. "I know, baby. It's been a long day."

Leo kissed the side of her head and hugged her back. "Nothing I can't handle without a little lovin' from the most beautiful woman on the planet," he grinned.

"Oh stop it!" she swatted him playfully. "I hate when you do that!"

"What? Tell the truth? You want me to lie instead?" He pushed her away from him and held her shoulders with all seriousness. "Calypso Valdez, you are the ugliest woman on the planet. Better?" he finished with a quirky grin.

"Oh, well now you're just plain mean!" she declared trying to act angry, but failing with a broken laugh in between.

Laughing, Leo pulled her in again and kissed her on the lips. They parted and Calypso raised her eyebrow at him. "Don't stop now, babe. We're just getting started."

He smirked again. "Well, well, well. Looks like someone is in need of a little Leo lovin'."

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Just kiss me."

And so he did.

* * *

 **So there we have it! Chapter one complete! As I said before, I had a great time writing this. What did you think? Feel free to comment and let me know if you are excited for chapter two!**

 **Again, sorry if there are any mistakes. I don't know if I caught them all.**

 **Till next time,**

 **~supworld~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! Chapter two!  
**

 **So I know the last chapter might have seemed to drag out. Sorry about that. I just wanted to be able to build the characters a little more before going too far in. This was more for my sake than yours, but hey: this way you can learn about them too. Again, sorry if my writing skills are lacking. I'm working on it.**

 **Without further interruptions, here's the second chapter.**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
I do not own any of the Heroes of Olympus characters. Credits go to the amazing (yet slightly evil) author, Rick Riordan. I own the kids! THEY'RE MINE! MWAHAHAHAHA! I know. I'm weird. :(  
**

* * *

 **~Piper's POV~**

Piper woke up with a start as Ben shook her. "Wake up! You'll miss breakfast."

Alarmed, she sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes before looked around the room. To her surprise, she found rows of her siblings' empty beds and scrambling late-risers rushing to put their makeup on and get ready for the day. Was she really the last one in bed? That was kind of strange. She hadn't done this since… Well, since she first got to camp and that was well over a year ago.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" she asked him with annoyance and slipped out from the covers to grab her clothes.

"I tried, but you were snoring pretty hard. Good dreams?"

She pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail and pondered his question. "Yes, actually."

"Let me guess," he said with his hands out to stop any retorts. "It had to do with Jason."

"Shut up!" and she threw her pillow at him. "No, it had nothing to do with Jason."

Piper pushed passed a pair of siblings hogging the mirror by the bathroom door and shut it. While she changed, she could hear Ben laughing. "What's so funny?" she called out.

"Well, if it wasn't Jason you were dreaming about, why were you smiling so much?"

"I was smiling?"

"Oh, big time; even called out a name or two but I couldn't hear what they were."

Piper pulled her pants up and buttoned them. Was she actually calling names? Who? Was it Sophia? Leo? There was a lot of drama between those two from what it looked like. Olivia only seemed to attempt to follow her older sister's footsteps, but she wasn't naturally so daring like Sophia. She just wanted to fit in. However, when it got her in trouble, her true self shone through to reveal a sweet girl. Olivia clearly didn't like hurting people, so when she saw how affected her father was, she immediately took her mask off.

What was she doing thinking like this? Piper didn't even know these people! They weren't even in existence yet! This was so weird. It seemed both impossible and invasive, but Piper believed she had just witnessed Leo's future first-hand. Right? If not, what the heck was that all about? Part of her wanted to believe her dreams were the real thing. His kids are adorable and he was remarkable with them even when in the middle of an argument, which was fairly admirable. Maybe it was just because he was constantly aware that letting himself get too far would cause him to burst into flames and literally go out of control. And Calypso… Even viewing the little scenes with them together, Leo and Calypso seemed to balance each other out rather nicely. They worked well as a couple-somewhat like Percy and Annabeth. Piper noticed from the day she had met Calypso, in certain ways, that both she and Leo mirrored the relationship that of Percy and Annabeth. They balanced one another.

"Are you coming?" Ben called, snapping her out of her daydream.

Jumping slightly at the sudden voice she replied, "Yeah, just let me brush my teeth."

* * *

When she and Ben got to the dining pavilion, Piper made a conscious effort to seek for Leo and Calypso at their assigned tables. Just as usual, Leo was sitting with his sibling at the Hephaestus table while his girlfriend sat with the Hermes cabin. Both tables were laughing and enjoying their meals. Nothing except Piper's outlook on her best friend and his girlfriend had changed overnight. Leo was still sixteen and Calypso was…sixteen too? That was of course in her mortal age. Piper would have to get a calculator to guess her godly age.

She sat down with her own siblings with dread at the kind of cosmetic conversations that were going to happen today, but as soon as she received her plate of pancakes (vegan, mind you), the first question of the day surprised her.

"So who's Noah? He your secret love interest?" one of the girls snickered.

 _Oh my gods, she was actually talking in her sleep!_ "What?" Piper asked, forcing herself not to blush.

"You heard me. Noah. You're new lover. You gonna update us or leave everyone in the dark?"

A wave of anger swallowed her. Did she _have_ to be a child of the goddess of gossip and lies? "There's nothing to tell because there isn't any boy on the side! I was just having a dream with someone named Noah. I honestly don't even know who he is and something tells me he doesn't even exist."

Yet.

"Whatever you say," Drew murmured in a sing-song voice. "But seriously, hon, we all have our secrets. We're your siblings. If you want to talk, we're here."

Piper willed herself not to throw a pancake at her face. Did her siblings always have to be such jerks? She wasn't cheating on Jason, and she definitely didn't plan on telling anyone about her dream of Leo's future. It was still freaking her out. "No, I'm good," she grumbled.

* * *

After breakfast, everyone departed from the dining pavilion to start the day by training, instructing, cleaning, picking strawberries, or working in the forges—and that was exactly where she was headed; to see a certain son of Hephaestus. Piper had been itching to talk with Leo one on one since the minute she woke up; before even. She had no idea what she was going to say to him or if she should even bother, but she went anyway. She wanted to compare, just to make sure.

"Hey, repair boy," Piper teased when she found her best friend hunched over a table working on blueprints.

He looked up with a grease-smeared face and oil stained overalls. Seriously, he just got here and he was already filled with machine liquids. "Sup, beauty queen? Do'ya have something needing fixing?"

"No, I'm fine," she answered. "I just came to see how everything's going."

He sighed and scratched a new line on his plans. "What do you want?"

"What? No, I don't want anything. I honestly just came to see you; to talk. I want to visit."

Still working on his blueprints, he made a weird face and cocked his head to the side slightly. "Ooookay. Whatever you want. Is there something you want to talk about, or…?"

"Can't a friend simply hang out with a person for no reason?"

"I guess?" He stuck his tongue out as he made the proper measurements. "Hey, does this look right to you, or does the rod need to be longer?"

Piper leaned over his shoulder and peered at his plans. In all honesty, she couldn't tell what the mechanical object was he was trying to build. The whole thing was a jumble of beams and bars and thingamajigs poking out from a large cube frame. Daring to ask, she uttered, "What is it?"

Leo adjusted himself so he was facing her. "What does it _look_ like? A giant tool box!"

"A tool box?" Like that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah!" he sighed with annoyance. "Look, these are the drawers, these are the hooks to hold hammers and whatnot, there are places for oil cloths and bolts and nails and… tools! It's a tool box."

"Looks more like a tool _cabinet_ , if you can even call it that. Why do you need this big thing anyway? Your tool belt can hold anything."

"A tool cabinet then, whatever," he mumbled and swatted that out of the way. "No, my tool belt can't hold everything; only tools you can find in a hardware store capable of fitting in the pockets, and the bigger the object—"

"The longer it takes to be able to summon more things from it, I know."

Leo looked at her like he was trying really hard to figure her out. "Why do you even ask when you know the answers? Like _really?_ You know how much breath I could save if I didn't answer those questions? I'd live an extra ten years!"

She laughed. "Okay fine, so let me just guess and waist my own breath. This tool cabinet will hold all your tools so you are able to keep them organized so when you can't use your tool belt on command the way you usually do, you have everything still at your fingertips and in a place you know where to find it."

"Hey, you're pretty good," he smirked. "But it isn't only for me. The others could use it too when I'm not around. Like usual, to make it a hundred times better, it's a mechanical tool cabinet so all you have to do is simply ask for a tool and it will offer it to you along with a few other suggestions."

Piper stuck her bottom lip out and nodded. "If I was interested in mechanics, I might think that was pretty cool."

His proud grin fell and he continued to scratch at his blueprints. "You ruin everything."

"Leo, I was only teasing. You know I think everything you do is cool. You're a son of Hephaestus for crying out loud! You and your siblings can build pretty much anything. All a child of Aphrodite can do is look good and boss people around."

"Yeah, you are pretty bossy, but you know at least we have the good looks thing in common," he teased with a dorky grin.

She flicked him on the arm and continued to watch him work on his project.

While she admired the way he calculated the measurements and added more gadgets to his invention, Piper began to think about her dream again. It was hard to believe the boy sitting beside her was the same person she had seen married and raising a family of seven—soon to be eight—children. That must've meant he'd retired from quests and fighting monsters years earlier. It was so refreshing to see at least one of her friends' future spent in the most normal way possible. She could only hope she and Jason could do the same. Living the life of a demigod was difficult, especially when you weren't promised to see your adult years. Now that she thought of it, it was actually pretty freaky. She mentally promised herself she wouldn't take any of her living days for granted. Each one could very well be her last.

"Leo?" Piper asked after a while. "Can I ask you a random question? Like, _really_ random?"

"Hey, random is my third language! Shoot!"

"Okay," she sighed, trying to form what she was trying to say properly. "If you ever got married, how many kids would you want to have?"

Leo froze and looked up at her like she had just told him she was an alien from another planet. "Okay, I was _not_ expecting that kind of question coming from those pretty, pink, Aphrodite lips. What kind of question is _that?_ "

"I told you it was random. Just answer."

After a few awkward seconds, giving her a reasonable time to rethink her question and cringe on the inside, Leo shrugged. "I don't know. Three tops? Why? Are you and Jason talking marriage already?"

"Gods, no!" she blushed. "No! I was just curious."

He made a look. "Cause asking best friends' how many kids they want is a perfectly normal subject to be curious about…"

"I guess it didn't sound so creepy in my head."

Leo smirked. "If that didn't sound creepy in that noggin of yours, I'd hate to know what else was going on up there."

"Leo, it was an honest question I was curious about. If it makes you feel any better, ask me a random question too."

"Really?" he asked with a dorky grin.

"Yes, but it can't be anything worse than the kid thing. G rated only."

"How about PG?"

"G!"

He pouted slightly before he got a look in his eye. "Okay, I have one. If you could be a child of any other Greek god or goddess, who would you want to be the child of? And ignore the fact that your mom is the godly one and pretend it could be either parent."

"That's a tough one," she mused and leaned against his work table. "Well, I've always liked Annabeth and her intelligence, but they don't really have powers, just like the Aphrodite cabin. Maybe…maybe I'd like to be the child of Artemis or Poseidon."

"Cool, cool. No specific reason?"

She thought a moment. "It's pretty neat the way Percy can control water, so for that reason I'd definitely like his godly parent, but Artemis gets to go on all these adventures to find different types of mythical creatures. It would be pretty cool to learn more about them, but I guess I wouldn't like the fact I have to swear off love and have to be constantly on the move and never stay in one place for very long."

"I know what that feels like," Leo murmured under his breath as he finished up the last details on his project. This time he added a crane with a hand on the end. Piper didn't even ask what that was for.

"Okay," he declared in a way to quickly move things along. "Next question!"

"Next question?"

"Yeah," he smiled up at her like a kid. "This is kinda fun."

Piper rolled her eyes and laughed to herself. "Fine. Um… What type of pet would you want?" she asked remembering the discussion future Leo had had with his kids.

"That's easy! A monkey!"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Why would I be kidding? Monkeys are great! They're like a little human who likes having fun and goofing off! That's my kind of pet!"

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me in the least," she laughed. He would either totally get along with it, or they would be each other's worst nightmare. "You're turn to ask me."

Biting his lip, Leo looked up at her. "If you were forced to live with one person from the Seven for the rest of your life, who would you choose. No boyfriends allowed."

"Really?" she complained. "Uh…" Okay, this actually was a tough question. Without Jason? She supposed Annabeth would be cool to be around, but then again she kinda turned her off. Piper wasn't so sure she would want to listen to constant know-it-all information twenty-four/seven. Not that she did that, but it could happen. Percy? He was cool, but just like Leo, he could become a handful. Both Annabeth and Calypso should receive medals for putting up with those two overgrown kids they have for boyfriends. Hazel was sweet, but also pretty innocent to the modern world. "I suppose I could say maybe Hazel or Frank?"

"What?!" Leo asked, looking highly offended. "You chose baby-face Frank over me?! You're best friend?! And here I thought you knew better! You're a traitor!"

"Hey, you wanted to know my honest answer, so I gave it to you!"

"No I didn't! I wanted to know who you would choose _dis_ honestly! In other words, I wanted to hear you say you wanted to hang out with _me!_ Bah!" he shoved her away from him. "Aphroditearians…Aphrodites? Aphro…Aphrodi?"

"Just stop, Leo, before you cause your brain explode. It's my turn to ask you."

Leo pointed a finger at her with a serious expression. "We're coming back to this."

"Whatever you say." After a moment of thinking, Piper thought of something she honestly wanted to know. "Can you braid?"

Once again, Leo looked at her like she'd grown a third eye. "Yeah."

"Could you braid my hair? I want to see how well you can do it."

He just stared at her. "You…you want me to _braid your hair?_ Hey, you asked two questions! Not fair!" Leo smirked. "I just made a rhyme."

"I know it sounds insane, but I seriously want to see if you can do it."

"You know, you're acting really weird today." He then stood from his seat and patted the stool for her to take his place. "Sit."

She obliged and made herself comfortable.

"So, what kind of braid do you want me to do? Standard? Fishtail? French? Dutch? Whatcha want, beauty queen?"

"You know all of those?" Piper asked with amazement. "Where did you learn how to do all of that?"

He shrugged. "When you move around from foster home to foster home, you pick up different tricks. I've even done Calypso's hair a few times just for fun. Besides, me being a child of Hephaestus, I'm good with my hands. I thought you would've just assumed I knew."

"No, I didn't. I don't know a lot of guys who know how to braid."

Leo spread his arms out. "Well, you found one. Now seriously, what do you want?"

"Dutch."

With an impish grin, he rubbed his hands together. "Alrighty. Let's see what we can do to this head of hair, shall we?"

Piper suddenly felt his fingers rake through her hair, gathering and separating different strands. He worked surprisingly gentle given how rough his hands had become over the last few months working in the forges. He worked rather quickly too, though she assumed he was used to needing to rush things. It didn't help that he was ADHD on top of that.

"So," she started, feeling him tug slightly to form the braid. "How were you taught? Did you simply ask someone to teach you?"

"Nah, I watched Mrs. Smith do it enough times to both Hailey and Brittney to know."

"Mrs. Smith?"

"Yeah," he mumbled. "She was one of my very first foster mom's. She was a hairstylist."

"And Hailey and Brittney were her daughters?"

Leo brushed his finger against her ear. "Two of many. The house was filled with little kids, which of course meant lots of chaos and squabbling siblings. It gave me some serious headaches sometimes."

Piper smiled at that. Leo had no idea what he was in for. "I thought you would've liked all the commotion."

He laughed. "With _them?_ Pipes, even the most extroverted extroverts stayed well away from that house of horrors. There was absolutely no parental supervision so all the kids did what they wanted. The answer _no_ didn't exist in that place…except for me, naturally."

She furrowed her brows. "Why was that?"

"Ah, because I was a foster child. Hey, do you have an elastic band I can use when I'm done?"

Taking the hint he didn't want to talk about his past, Piper nodded and handed him the band wrapped around her wrist. He took it gratefully and continued without much else to say.

When he finished, he tied it off and stood back. "Voila! Perfecto! It's a masterpiece!"

Reaching back to feel it for herself, Piper nodded with admiration and turned to face him. "Not bad, repair boy. Not bad at all."

"Thank you," he grinned pleasingly. "Now you aren't gonna ask me if I paint nails too, are you? Cause unless you want fingers full of paint… Nope. Don't do that girly crap."

"It's not crap, it's…" Looking down at her paint-free fingernails, she scrunched her nose. "Yeah, it's crap."

"Okay, it's my turn to ask you a question. Actually, _two_ because you asked an extra one."

"It was the same question!"

"No, the first time you asked if I could braid. The second was if I could braid _your hair_. I get to ask two questions."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine."

He nodded with satisfaction. "First one: Why are you acting so weird?"

"I'm not acting weird."

" _How many kids do you want when you get married? Can you braid my hair?_ " he mocked in a girly voice. "I ain't one of your girlfriends from the Aphrodite cabin and you sure the hell don't talk like that."

She sighed with no way out of it. "Alright, you got me. The truth is…" How was she going to say this without sounding insane? "Okay, again, this is going to sound incredibly creepy."

"Ugh!" he groaned. "Seriously?"

"Yes, but just remember you asked. Last night I had this strange dream. It was about you."

He wriggled his eyebrows and looked at her in a mischievous way. "Am I that hot?"

"That's your second question!" she quickly jumped in trying to change the subject.

"No it's not! That was just a rhetorical question. You don't answer those. Go on."

Crossing her arms with a silent huff, she continued. "As I was saying, I had a dream about you, except it was really strange because it showed you in a different time frame—like in the future. You were in this large house with a big family and Calypso was pregnant and you were all talking about getting a pet and there also seemed to be a bit of drama between you and your two oldest daughters but the younger one seemed pretty nice and didn't mean any harm while the other was clearly trying to find a life of her own and there was this birthday party you and Calypso were putting on for your two other kids and you had a goatee which, yes, you actually looked _really_ hot in and—"

Leo waved his hands in the air to stop her and took a step back. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up a minute! What the _hell_ are you talking about?"

Yup. She sounded insane. "I gave you an answer to your question. Look, I know it sounds absolutely absurd, but it was just a dream. I mean, sure, a demigod's dream isn't ever just a dream, but who knows? Maybe it doesn't mean anything."

This time he actually looked at her like she had honestly spouted two more heads hydra-style and kept convincing him it was normal. "So…y-you're trying to tell me you can see the _future?_ I mean, that's frickin' _awesome_ if you can, but do you have any idea how bizarre everything that came out of your mouth sounded? You're talking about me _having kids?_ Was that why you asked how many I wanted when I got married?"

"Yes," she mumbled just over a whisper. "I'm really sorry. This is probably really freaking you out."

"Uh, yeah…just a little."

With a sigh, she leaned her head in her hand. "It was just so weird seeing you all grown up and living like a regular family. Did you know you end up with seven kids? Actually eight, but Calypso hasn't had the baby yet." She laughed slightly. "And to think you only want three."

Leo was seriously backing away inch by inch in the most discrete way possible. "Isn't that nice? Look, Piper, maybe you should go see Chiron. Or, you know what would be better? Checking up with the Apollo kids, huh? They might need some extra help around their cabin to do their…uh…Apollo-y stuff."

"You think I've gone mad, don't you?"

"No, no, not at all," he uttered in a very unconvincing way. "I just think it would be good for both of us to get back to work and maybe, you know, help out where it's needed?"

Piper studied him. "You're not a very good liar."

That broke him out of that awkward look. "Hey, I'm a great liar! Lying is what I do best!"

"Great, then you can pretend this conversation never happened," she told him as she stood. "Right?"

When he didn't answer, she asked him again. "Right?"

"Fine, but I would really appreciate if you won't act creepy any more, okay?"

"Deal," she nodded. "We never speak of this again."

* * *

 **Chapter two, peoples! Done! Complete! Finished! I really hoped you like this one.  
**

 **Make sure to comment and let me know if you did or didn't enjoy it. :)**

 **I apologize for any mistakes.**

 **Peace out,**

 **~supworld~ ;P  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three is here!**

 **Even though it is still fairly early in the story, I think it's time to start putting some spice into this. Excited? I really hope you guys are curious to see what this story is really about. I'm nervous the beginnings are a little dry. I promise you though, things will pick up.**

 **On a happy note: if you've reached this chapter, it still means you want to see what happens... Right?**

 **On with it!**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
You get the picture. I don't these characters. (Except the kids)**

 **Again, sorry for any incorrect Spanish terms.**

* * *

 **~Piper's POV~**

She couldn't believe she said something to Leo! Piper wanted to slap herself for daring to even mention anything about his future to him. What was she thinking?! That he would believe her and say _That sounds both really awesome_ _and believable_! _What else is in my future?_ That was kind of asking too much from a person. Poor Leo must think she was insane! She was starting to think that herself. Was her dream a prophecy? It wasn't like anything she'd ever experienced before. It was even more peculiar than the dreams she had of her dad held captive last year. These were different.

Trying to push everything aside, Piper curled up into her bed that night after the lights were turned off and fell into sleep.

* * *

The opening scene showed grown-up Leo creating a tent out of blankets and chairs on their backyard lawn under the stars, big enough to fit maybe three small people. He was humming to himself and adjusting everything so the blanket would stay in place and the chairs were far enough from each other to create a passageway into the little fortress. Around the blanket to ring around the tops of the chairs, he placed a string of white lights so it shone through into the tent. Inside, he placed a plate of cheese, crackers, and salami and stood back to admire his work. It wasn't anything like a child of Hephaestus could do, that's for sure. The tent looked like a couple little kids had made it, but Piper could see this was exactly the way he wanted it to look. Confused, she watched as he went back inside the house and climbed the stairs to walk up to a closed door. He knocked gently and opened it a small crack.

"Anybody home?" he asked with a smile.

Inside sat Sophia on her bed with a book in her hands, hiding her face. She didn't even take it down to look at him. "Go away," she grumbled.

"I've got a surprise for you, Sophie," he bribed. "You're not going to turn a surprise down, are you?"

"Yup."

Disappointed by her answer, he slumped his shoulders and walked in to sit on the foot of her bed. "Come on, Sophia. I know you're mad at me. That's why we should talk about it."

"I already tried to talk about it with you and you pushed me up here." She turned a page.

He shook his head. "No, that wasn't talking, that was fighting. And the only reason I told you to go to your room was because of the way you were talking to me. If there's something you want to say to me now, I'm willing to listen."

"Why does it even matter anymore? It's over. Neither me or Olivia got to go to that beach party you promised to let us join all because of some stupid boys."

"Exactly! It's all because of some _stupid boys._ That's the whole reason you missed out. Don't you understand? All you had to do was stick to the original plans and you would've been able to go."

"Stick to the plans," Sophia repeated with a mocking voice. "Is that all we can ever do?"

Leo knit his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

Lowering her open book onto her lap, she looked at him with red puffy eyes. "Dad, every single thing we do as a family lately, is stick to a plan. You make sure that we go to school on time and come home on time. If we have to stay even a little later at school, we have to make sure to Iris message you and Mom to let you know we didn't die. Then, if we are to hang out with friends out of the house, you make us Iris message you every two hours or as close to that as possible so you can check up on us to make sure we're all in one piece. How am I or any one of us kids supposed to live like that?"

Leo opened his mouth to say something but closed it right away before hiding his head in his hands. After a minute passed, he let out a long, stressful sigh and rubbed his face. "I didn't want to have to tell you," he nearly whispered as he smoothed his hair back and looked back up at his daughter with dread.

"What do you mean?" she asked him with a hint of curiosity.

"Sophia," he started and took a moment to think what he was going to say. "Sophia, I know living like this is hard for you. It's hard on all of us."

"Then why are we living like this all of a sudden? Tell me!"

With a nervous glance at the door to make sure no one was there, he brought his attention back to her. "Three months ago, your mother and I received a message from camp about a possible attack." His pause between his thoughts was long and drawn out, like he wasn't sure he wanted to go ahead with this. Still, he continued. "There are a group of monsters spread out across the United States traveling in search of the Seven."

"Monsters?" she murmured with confusion. "What monsters?"

He shrugged. "We don't know yet. We've just been warned about an anonymous group hunting us down."

"The Seven... Meaning you and the others..." she whispered in an understanding tone.

Leo nodded. "Uncle Percy, Aunt Annabeth, Uncle Jason… All of them. Apparently, these monsters have kindled their hatred for us ever since the downfall of Gaea all those years ago. And now that they found out we all have families, Chiron has warned us that Rachel had a vision..." He took a deep, shaky breath and tried to come at it in a different way. "T-they know we have families n-now, and... have sworn to s-start their revenge by... b-by..." He choked on a sob and buried his face in his hands again. "Gods," he sobbed. " _Oh gods!_ "

Wait... What? Were his kids in danger? Is that what he was trying to tell her? Were these monsters actually hunting his family down? And the rest of the Seven? Were their families in danger also? Piper's heart fell. This was terrible! For three months, every member of the Seven had to live each day with fear for their family. The weight holding them down would be horrible. And for that amount of time? How did it not break a person?

"Oh, _Papi_ ," Sophia whispered with tears in her eyes. " _Papá, no tenía ni idea_ (Daddy, I had no idea)," and she reached over and hugged him. Immediately after she did, Leo grabbed onto her so tightly his knuckles turned white, and buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed. Sophia then started to weep with him with her arms around his neck and apologized for everything. " _Lo siento, Papá. No lo sabía_. (I'm sorry, Daddy. I didn't know.)"

They sat there for a long time, crying together and trying to be of comfort to each other.

Then Sophia's muffled voice came back. "I'm sorry, _Papi_. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Leo uttered and he stroked her curls. "I'm not mad."

"You're not?" she asked as she pulled away and wiped her tears away.

"No, of course not," he whispered. "You're mom and I just didn't want to scare you and your siblings."

Sophia reached out and tenderly brushed his tears away. He smiled. Before she took her hand away, he grabbed it and kissed it gently. " _Te amo,_ _bebita_ , (I love you, baby girl)" he breathed.

"I love you too, _Papi_."

After another hug, Leo broke away and let out a refreshed sigh with a grin. "Shall we check out the surprise I have for you now? I know you'll love it."

She grinned from ear to ear. "I'd like that."

"You've got to close your eyes then," he grinned excitedly. "It's in the backyard. I'll guide you."

"The backyard? Oh, Dad, is this another one of your _incredibly_ _fantastic_ inventions again?" she complained. "Cause if it is, I don't know if I want to…unless you want me to help you fix it up. That would be fun."

"What are you saying?" he said with that all-too-familiar look of offense. "Are saying you don't like my inventions? Aren't they good enough for you?"

She laughed. "No, I don't mean that. I mean, is it something unnecessary again?"

"Sophia, it is perfectly necessary!"

"What is it?" she asked, leaning forward with excitement. "Is it my first car?"

Leo looked at her with alarm. "What? A car? What makes you say that?"

"Because it's in the backyard," she reasoned. "Did you build it?"

Being the mechanic he was, he laughed and shook his head. "As much as I would love to build a car for you, I'm afraid you mother would literally kill me. No. I didn't build you a car, but if you want to find out what it really is, you have to let me lead you outside."

"Fine," she smirked and stood up, closing her eyes. She reached her hand out to the open and wiggled her fingers. "Lead me, Father."

"I shall lead you, Daughter," he said with a serious nod and grabbed her hand. Together they descended down the stairs and traveled through the living room and kitchen before they stopped at the patio door. "Are you peaking?" he asked her. When she shook her head, he pulled the door open and brought her out into the yard and stood on the grass. "Okay, open your eyes."

Sophia obeyed and as soon as she did, she smiled wider than Piper had ever seen a person manage before. "It's our tent! Dad, you made our tent!"

"Yup," he beamed. "I figured being a child of Hephaestus gave me the talent to replicate our little castle even after all these years, so why not rebuild it and relive some of those memories?"

"Oh, Daddy, I love you," she murmured and hugged him tightly.

When they parted, Leo crawled under the little tent. "Hey, it's pretty nice under here. Oh, look! Snacks! You should come in too!"

Giggling, Leo's daughter clambered in after him.

* * *

The next scene came and this time Piper was standing in the kitchen with the whole family. They were cooking supper from what it looked like as they all danced to the blasting radio and sang along. It was such a happy atmosphere Piper couldn't help but laugh along with them. The twins danced with each other around the table while Liam clapped and watched with the brightest smile on his face. Olivia and Sophia helped Leo cut the vegetables and sang with the radio (Olivia had an incredible voice!), while Milo sat on the counter and watched Calypso at the stove preparing the meat and sauces, his mother offering a backup chorus. Anita simply sat in front of the fridge and played with a bunch of fridge magnets.

Leo and Olivia sang a duo. "No, no, honey I'm good, I could have another but I probably should not, I've got somebody at home and if I stay I might not leave alone!"

Sophia and Calypso chimed in next. "No, honey I'm good, I could have another but I probably should not, I've got to bid you adieu to another…"

"I will stay true!" everyone joined in.

For different lines, they would split up and take turns singing them. When it came to the bridge, Leo and Calypso took it as they turned to each other. "And oh, I'm sure you, sure you will make somebody's night. But oh, I'll show you, show you it sure the hell's not mine!"

With the last part, Calypso wagged her finger in front of her and backed away from Leo with a mischievous grin.

And so the song continued, and for the last line, Leo pulled Calypso in and changed the words to "I love you," and dip-kissed her. The kids cheered with the exception of Noah and Lily closing their eyes and shouting that it was gross. Naturally, little Anita did the same.

Calypso pushed away from Leo and slapped him on the shoulder. "Enough! Not in front of the kids!"

"Why not?" he asked innocently. "Does it embarrass you?"

"No, it just…" she struggled for words. "Just not in front of the kids!"

Not excepting her answer, Leo turned to his children. "What do you say? Should I do it again?"

"Yeah!" Milo chimed up with the most adorable cheeky smile. Everyone laughed.

Turning back to his wife, Leo offered her an impish grin. "You heard them. They want an encore. You gonna give it to them?"

"I… No! It's not proper…it's… Leo how dare you plant such seeds in their heads! Allowing them to see us acting this way!"

"What? This way?" and he pulled her into another kiss. This time she let him for another few seconds and the kids all laughed and applauded.

Soon enough, Calypso broke away again and hurriedly turned back to the stove to stir the food. "Honestly," she muttered under her breath, but her smile gave her away. Piper could tell she secretly loved the way he did that.

After about fifteen minutes, Calypso turned the stove off and announced that supper was ready. The children cheered and helped bring everything to the dining room table. Once everyone sat in their usual seats, Leo began the meal by dishing himself first and passing it on to the others. It must've been tradition for them. As soon as everyone had their food, Noah chimed up. "Hey, Dad, did you and Mom talk it over?"

"Talk what over?"

"The pet!" he declared like it was most obvious thing in the world. "Did you?"

Leo sighed and looked over at his wife. "How did we ever get convinced into talking about pets?"

"Yes, dear, we talked it over," Calypso said kindly. "Your father and I have come to an agreement on allowing you to get a couple Guinee pigs, if that's what you want. If not, we'll have to find some other suggestion."

"Really?!" Noah exclaimed. "We can get guinea pigs?!"

She nodded with a pleased grin at his reply. "Yes. No more than two though."

"Guinea pigs?" Olivia asked with a more disappointed tone. "There're not even cool. All they do is squeak, sleep, and eat."

Leo took a bite. "If I'm not mistaken, a snake does even less."

"Yeah, but snakes are cool. Guinea pigs are…well, pigs."

Milo looked up with big eyes. "Mommy, are we getting pigs?"

"No, Milo," she smiled sweetly. "We're getting _guinea_ pigs."

From his tilted head and blank expression, he clearly didn't understand what that was.

"A guinea pig is a rodent," Leo described.

"Is a rodent like a rat?" Lily asked with a mouth filled with so much food, Piper almost didn't hear what she was saying.

"Well, a rat is a kind of rodent, yes."

"Gross! I don't want a guinea pig!"

Noah opened his mouth to say something but Leo was the one to speak first. "Quiet, Noah! I know what you are about to say, and no. Not only girls can dislike rodents. I know lots of people who don't like rodents. You guys will like guinea pigs though. Their fluffy and they make weird noises."

"How big is a guinea pig, Mommy?" Lily asked.

"It's small enough to hold. Think of a little rabbit. That's how big."

"I like rabbits!" Milo said with glee.

Sophia reached for the juice pitcher. "I think guinea pigs are adorable. Are we getting boys or girls?"

"Why not one of each?" Noah asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Because, genius, they'll breed."

"What's breed mean?"

Leaning forward, she stared at him. "They'll make babies and take over the whole house, so you'll find them in your bed and in your closet and in your shoes and in your toys and in your food—"

"Sophia!" Calypso interrupted. "Stop it!"

"It's okay, Mommy," Noah said trying to stuff more into his mouth than he could fit. "I already know she's lying."

"Or am I?" Sophia murmured in a ghost-like manner.

"Sophia, that's enough," Leo piped up, though he had a hard time hiding his smirk.

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Were you expecting anyone?" Leo asked Calypso with a confused expression. She shook her head and watched as Leo stood up and made his way to the door. There, he opened it and a huge grin came upon his face. "Apollo! My man! How's it going?"

"Apollo is here!" Olivia gleamed and ran to the door with her father. "Hi, Apollo!"

Sure enough, the sun god himself stood there in all his godly wonder—or rather his mortal disguise as an incredibly good-looking man, and he knew it too. This time he had golden hair that hung almost down to his shoulders and a warm caramel skin tone to match his hazel eyes. On purpose, he always made himself slightly taller and buffer than any other guy he met, which Piper knew bugged Leo. He wore a classic beach outfit, complete with khaki shorts, a flower over-shirt, and flip-flops. A pair of sunglasses sat on the top of his head like a headband.

"Sup, Valdez family?" he beamed with a wide smile, showing off his perfect dimples.

"What are you doing here?" Calypso asked with anything but a welcoming smile. The rest of the kids followed her. "I thought you were supposed to be doing all those godly things gods do."

"Believe it or not, Calypso—though I think you can believe it after being a goddess at one point—we gods can get tired and need a vacation every few millennia. So I figure, why not come visit my second favorite person and his lovely children?"

"And who _'s_ your first favorite person?" Leo asked skeptically.

"Me, of course!" Apollo declared without hesitation. In fact, he seemed like he was waiting for someone to ask that question. "Now, where's the cake?"

"Excuse me?" Calypso crossed her arms.

"The cake! You couldn't have had a birthday party without a cake! You're not out are you? Honestly, you mortals! However do you survive?"

"We have a little cake left in the fridge!" Noah offered with Lily jumping at his side. "We had our birthday party two days ago! We're seven now!"

"Hey!" Apollo exclaimed bringing his attention now to the kids. "That's great! You're…" he thought a moment and frowned. "Almost a decade old. Wow. What a simple life. Now show me this cake of yours!"

Just as Noah and Lily grabbed his hands to pull him to the kitchen, Calypso stepped up and put her hands on her hips. "And where do you think you're going? No one is getting cake until you finish your supper. Apollo," she directed at him. "Must you disturb all our meals?"

He simply shrugged like he had no idea what she was talking about. "I'm afraid you're speaking gibberish to me. I don't interfere with your meals."

"Oh yes you do. Remember that time with breakfast? None of the kids wanted to finish it because you insisted everyone take a ride in your new car. I will also remind you, you took them for half the day while they sat in their pajamas and unready for the day."

Apollo seemed to have to mull this through his head. "Ah, yes! I remember now! That was a great day!"

"Your car is awesome!" Sophia declared. "Do you have it? Can we ride in it again?"

"Why sure! I'd love to take you," he put his hand up to stop both Leo and Calypso from speaking. "It will have to wait for later though, I'm afraid. I have things to discuss with your parents."

That received some concerned glances from the couple. "What things?" Leo asked with great hesitation.

"Oh, that can wait until we are alone in the kitchen," Apollo said with a hint of seriousness underlying his cheerful attitude. "Now, little children! Run and play!"

With a bit of persuasion, the younger ones left, but Olivia, Liam, and Sophia stayed.

"Sophia," Calypso said. "Why don't you take your brother and sister up to your room and find something to do, okay?"

"I'm not a little kid anymore," she protested. "Can't I stay down here with you? I'm fourteen, you know."

"Sophia…"

Understanding the seriousness of the situation, she nodded and left with the others, guiding Liam by the hand.

Once they were alone, Leo and Calypso brought the sun god into the kitchen and away from any eavesdroppers. "What's this about, Apollo?" Leo asked with a look of dread, showing he already knew.

"The beasts," was all Apollo had to say.

"Oh, gods, did they get to one of the Seven?" Leo breathed.

"No. They haven't been able to find them quite yet, but I will admit, they're getting better at tracking."

Leo cursed in Spanish.

"With that said," the god continued, "I give you a warning. The beasts are headed this direction at a fast pace. I don't know if they are aware of your location, but I don't expect them to take long to get here and find out."

"Oh my gods," Calypso whimpered and grabbed a hold of Leo for support. From the way he was looking, he seemed to need her support too.

"It's not too late yet. If there's a way you can hide Calypso and your children in separate hideouts, each a place of many scents to mask the stench of demigod, there is a great chance your children will not even be given the chance to see these beasts' faces. They can even hide in broad daylight if you find the right place."

"W-we have to separate our family _?_ " Calypso asked with horror at the very idea. "How are we supposed to hide? Why can't you just take us to Olympus with you?"

Apollo leaned against the counter. "I've tried convincing my father of that idea, but he turned it down almost before the suggestion left my mouth. Unfortunately, he finds that these young ones will cause chaos in the halls of Olympus. No. That is not an option."

Leo let out a frustrated groan as he gript at his hair. "What the hell is wrong with Zeus?! This is my _family_ we're talking about! We've done nothing wrong to any of the gods and my children know when to behave! Where else are they supposed to go?!"

With a look of shame, Apollo sighed. "Leo, I have tried to fight this over and over again. My father has the last say, and I'm afraid if I go any further with it, he'll take my immortality away for a fourth time."

"So what?! At least you'll still be _alive!_ My kids don't even have a guarantee that they'll live to see the end of the day! And look at you, Great God of the Sun! You've lived for thousands of years! You even said yourself how simple and short our mortal lives are! My children have lived a very short time even in mortal years! _Please!_ Can't you fight, one more time? I'm begging you! Both of us are!"

Tears were brimming Leo's eyes. So much hurt and fear has been hidden deep inside to protect his kids, his own flesh and blood. Piper wondered how much of his mask he had to use around them just to keep the suspicion of fright buried away from them. The same went for Calypso. The couple were probably ready to do anything to protect their family.

Apollo looked defeated. "Look, if you want it so bad…" He sighed. "Alright. I'll ask him one more time, but there are no promises he will give you what you want. I'm not even sure if he'll even let me bring the subject up anymore."

The couple glanced at each other like they were thinking the same thing. Leo turned his attention back to the god. "Apollo, do you think if I could go with you to Olympus, Zeus would see how serious my wife and I are?"

"Maybe," he mused, but he didn't sound convinced.

"Even if all we do is get him to consider the idea without a confirmed answer, when the attack happens, his decision might end up in our favor."

A few seconds ticked went by before Apollo gave them his answer. "Okay. I'll take you. But in order for everything to happen the way we need it to go, you have to trust me and go along with everything I do. Zeus will not be happy."

Leo offered him his hand with a serious expression. "So it's a deal?"

Apollo shook his hand. "Deal."

* * *

Piper woke up once again to Ben staring with concern down at her face. "Seriously, Piper. Are you feeling well?"

Once more, she sat up and found all of her siblings were gone to breakfast. Katie was there this time though with an apple in her hand as she sat on the next bed over to her. Her long, golden hair was pulled back into a bun and she wore a pair of worn grey shorts with a camp shirt. It was unbelievable how gorgeous she was even if she wasn't trying to be.

"Again?" Piper croaked, scratching her head. She noticed she still had Leo's braid in her hair. "What time is it?"

"Ten," Ben answered. "You didn't answer my question. Are you feeling okay? You began to mumble in your sleep in a really strange way, like you were talking to someone. Is there another prophecy coming up, or what?"

"No," she said, but even to her is sounded uncertain. "I don't think so. It's just… I'm having the strangest dreams and they aren't like anything I've ever had before."

"What do you mean?" Katie asked with a mouthful of apple.

Now she was supposed to tell two more people about her insane dreams? Leo had thought she'd gone crazy or something, so how were her siblings going to react? Should she even dare to say anything more about it? "Nothing. Just like Leo, you'll think I've gone insane. You won't believe me," and she stood up and grabbed a fresh pair of clothes.

Before she could make her way to the bathroom to change, Ben grabbed her arm. "Maybe you can just tell us and see where this goes. Nothing that you dream can be that crazy."

 _You'd be surprised,_ she thought. "Do you seriously want to hear about my dream?"

"Yes," they both said in unison.

She flopped back on her bed and sighed. "You have to promise me you won't tell anyone about it. Leo already knows, but I don't suggest mentioning it to him anymore. He was pretty freaked out."

"Okay, okay, we promise, now what's going on?" Ben asked impatiently.

This time she waited almost ten full seconds before she said anything so she was completely aware of how to bring the subject up without too much of her freaking them out. Looking at her siblings with utmost sincerity, she began her ridiculous story. "You see, for two nights now, I think I've been having visions of the future."

"The _future?!_ " Ben exclaimed and glanced up Katie with an alarmed grin. "Cool! What kind of future? Do I get a hot girlfriend?"

"See? That's exactly how I thought Leo was going to react, but I guess it's different for him on the count of my dreams being about him and his kids."

"W-wait. Your dreams are about Leo and his _kids?_ That's crazy! Why him? What's so important about him?"

"How many kids does he have?" Katie asked with curiosity.

Piper was astonished by how they were taking it. She had barely mentioned anything to them and they were already all over the idea in a way she was seriously thinking impossible. Maybe she had just come about it the wrong way with Leo. He was sure freaked out enough.

"You guys are seriously interested to hear about this?" she asked with surprise.

"Sure!" Katie grinned. "So what about his kids? How many?"

"Soon to be eight."

"Whoa! _Eight?!_ That's absurd! For being Leo, I find it hard to believe he could ever handle that many kids without an explosion going off."

Piper laughed. "I expected that too, but surprisingly, Leo is an outstanding father. Both he and Calypso work well together." Her face suddenly fell when she remembered everything else. "But…"

"But what?" Katie asked. "You look troubled."

"Well…in my dream, Leo and Calypso had apparently received word from camp of a possible attack." She looked up at her siblings with concern. "Their kids are in danger. It even got to the point where Apollo himself came to their doorstep to warn them to hide their kids."

They were silent for a moment.

"Wow," Ben uttered. "That got deep."

"I know. Maybe that's why I was stirring in weird ways. Just…just seeing the amount of pain and fear Leo and Calypso had for them… It was hard to watch."

Ugh! Again with that word: Watch. Piper hated how invasive this felt for his sake. Even though she had told him and he hadn't believed her, didn't mean she had the right to poke her nose where it didn't belong. Sure, she couldn't control the way she dreamt about his future, but a part of her felt like she was just as guilty as if she purposely dreamt it because she was curious about it. She wanted to know what will happen to him and his family; about the the Seven's families. Will they ever fight off these monsters and keep their children safe, or will things go horribly, horribly wrong?

"You woke me just as Apollo agreed to let Leo up to Olympus to convince Zeus to let his kids stay there until the threat was taken care of."

Ben stuck his bottom lip out. "Huh."

Piper looked at him strangely. "What do you mean, _huh?_ This is a big deal!"

"Uh, Piper," Katie said from the side. "Look, we know that sounds terrible, but…um…what are any of us going to do about it? Whatever you're dreaming is apparently in the future. We're in the past…well, actually the present, but you know what I mean."

"I know," she sighed and pressed her finger to her temples. "This whole thing is giving me a headache."

"Look," Ben uttered. "Why don't you forget about all of this and get some food into your body, huh? Maybe you'll fee better."

She didn't quite understand how that would make her feel better, but with no other option, she nodded. "Okay."

* * *

 **Chapter complete!**

 **Okay, so some things are starting to shine through. :D**

 **Feel free to comment!**

 **On to chapter four!**

 **~supworld~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Heyya peoples!**

 **Before anything, I want to thank you all so much for sharing your reviews with me! It means a lot. :D Each time I find one, I just can't help but smile. It feels great to be able to know you all want more. :)**

 **To comment on what** LifeInTheGrey **said: We shall see what happens. ;) Poor Piper is totally confused in this story, but the dreams do have a purpose.**

 **Again, I don't speak Spanish, so if any of you who do find something wrong, I relied on Google Translate. Hopefully everything's good though.**

 **On with chapter four! (Just a heads up: this chapter is actually WAY longer than what I intended it to be. Including my A/N, this is exactly 8,439 words. Oops)  
**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
You already know what I'm about to say, so... **

* * *

**~Piper's POV~  
**

Piper spent the whole day trying hard to forget about her dreams by volunteering to pick strawberries and keeping herself busy with anything she could get her hands on. The Demeter kids thought it was sweet of her to offer to help and she enjoyed being able to give them an extra hand, but mostly what she was thinking was that if she found herself with any time to rest more than ten minutes at a time, she would cave in and search for Leo again, and something told her that if she did he wouldn't be as easy to talk to as yesterday. He was right. She had acted creepy. Starting off by asking how many kids he wanted, then asking if he could braid her hair, to full out talking about being able to see into his future… Yeah, that was creepy. If she had the chance, she'd have to find him and apologize for freaking him out. Maybe his advice to see the Apollo kids wasn't such a bad idea after all. After she was done in the garden, she might pop in for a quick word with Will.

"Hey," a voice came from behind her. Turning around to see who it was, Piper almost cursed under her breath. She came here to escape from any reminders of her dreams. Could she not stay free from it even for a single day?

"Oh, hi, Calypso," she grinned in a friendly manner and continued to pick the juicy red fruit. "What are you doing here?"

Her friend knelt down next to her with a basket in hand and went to work. She was wearing a really cute baby blue tank-top with a pair of skinny jeans. A white belt was wrapped around her thin, non-pregnant waist.

Seriously? Piper thought. She was picking strawberries. Did she just not care about getting those nice clothes dirty?

"I just thought I would spend some time with my hands in the dirt," she smiled sweetly. "It's been a little while since I've had some gardening time and I think it's about time I got back into it. How about you? I don't usually see you here much."

Finding a rich strawberry, Piper picked it. "I guess the same reason as you. It's been a while. Besides," she grinned after taking bite. "There's the reward of devouring your prize."

Calypso laughed.

While they worked and made small talk, Piper found herself repeatedly going back to her dream as she watched Calypso work. She looked so young here, though even when she is in her mid-thirties she doesn't look old and neither does Leo. Here they were sixteen and still ready to up and leave on another quest, the future they see for themselves being so unclear and uncertain. They had no idea if they were meant for each other or if their relationship they had with one another would last long or not. In all honesty though, it was hard to picture them not getting married to each other in the end. Leo kept dropping hints about marrying her in a way that wasn't exactly clear if he was joking or if he was serious. It drove Calypso mad but Piper guessed that was precisely what he wanted to happen. That way he could surprise her by asking that one question every girl dreamed of hearing, catching her completely off guard. That was adorable.

"Have you seen Leo today?" Calypso suddenly asked.

"No. Why?"

She bit her lip. "Well, no specific reason, I guess. I just haven't seen him around today. Yesterday he seemed to have something on his mind. He hardly even talked to me. Do you know what it's about? Is it because of me?"

Oh boy. "Uh, no. I don't think so. You know how he can be: One minute he's his happy-go-lucky self who loves all the attention and another he's all quiet and antisocial. It's a Leo thing."

"Maybe," she sighed. "Maybe you're right."

Piper hid her unease behind a smile and continued to fill her basket.

* * *

Just as she promised herself and to Leo, Piper made her way into the infirmary in search of Will, the son of Apollo. If anyone would know if she was going insane or not, he would. And to know if these dreams could potentially be all part of an oncoming prophecy scared her. Why her? What was happening? If these dreams didn't fade fast, she wasn't sure if she could handle it. It had been sweet to meet Leo's future family and all, but she was seriously concerned that even if she wasn't actually crazy at this point, in the near future, she _would_ be. Ugh. Future. Just thinking about it gave her vertigo.

Arriving at the infirmary, Piper entered through the large doors. So many patients lay on cots in rows against either wall of the building, some in serious condition while others simply had a broke limb or bad rash. At the foot of one of the more serious patients, Will stood with a clipboard in his hand, looking over the medical information the wounded camper had.

"Will," she called. "Do you think I could spare a minute with you? I have a question I need you to answer."

He looked up and smiled. "Piper, how are you?"

"Okay, I guess. So, do you have a minute, or would you like me to come back later?"

"Nope," he shook his head and placed the clipboard back on the hook on the wall beside the sleeping patient. "I'm free. What do you want to talk to me about?"

Piper pointed her head to the door. "You think we could speak in private?"

"Sure," he replied and following her outside. In the shadow of a tree that stood well away from all the other campers, they stopped and faced each other. "So? What's this about?"

She shifted her weight from foot to foot. "To be honest, Will, I'm a little afraid you'll think I've lost my head."

Waiting for her to continue, Will motioned for her to keep going. "Don't stop. I won't think you're crazy."

She didn't know how much she could trust him to keep his word, but she took him up on it. "For two nights in a row now, I've been having strange dreams. Dreams I've never had before, and something tells me that I'm having them for a reason. I don't know why, but they seem important."

His eyes narrowed. "Like a prophecy?"

"No," she said shaking her head. "I mean, I don't think so anyway. Well... maybe? Ugh!" she moaned and pressed her fingers to the temples. "I don't know!"

"Hey," he said with a firm hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. Just take everything slow. We'll work through whatever you're going through."

Looking him in the eye, she murmured, "I'm going to trust that whatever I say to you, you'll take it as it is and not question me. I'm just as freaked out by it and need to figure out what's going on." She described her visions with Will in a clear voice and in great detail, careful not to leave anything important out. The whole time Will had his arms crossed and stared at the ground, digesting her whole story. It was a lot to take in and she couldn't expect him to understand everything, but if there was even a slim chance he could, she'd take it. Anything to take a step closer to understanding this herself. After she explained everything she could, she paused for a few seconds to let it all sink in before asking Will, "Am I sounding crazy yet?"

He looked to be in deep thought as he processed what he had just heard. Finally, after what felt like ages, he looked back up at her with an expression she couldn't quite describe. "I think you sound like you know what you're talking about, and let's be honest: For the life of a demigod, we constantly go through some pretty strange crap. No. I don't think you sound crazy-at least by a demigod's standard anyway."

"Really?" she breathed with relief. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how dizzy all this is making me. After mentioning it to Leo I thought no one would believe me—"

"You talked to Leo about this?" Will cut in with a serious tone.

"Yeah. Why, is that bad?"

"And he didn't believe you?"

"No. I admit I went about it the wrong way. Sorta creeped him out a bit."

"You should've come to me before you said anything to anyone. We don't even know why this is happening."

"I know," she groaned. "I just figured… Well, I'm not even sure what I figured. Honestly, I acted before I thought anything through and now poor Leo thinks I'm going insane. Is there any possibility that you could help me figure out what this fortune thing is for? Why am I having them?"

Will simply shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't answer that one. One cannot make sense of another's dreams easily by merely listening to them. Usually the one having the dreams can make the most sense out of them. Even you should know that."

Disappointed, she nodded with understanding. That was exactly the answer she was hoping not to get. She didn't want to keep having these dreams, but how was she going to stop them? "I know," she murmured.

Will gript her shoulder and offered her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you. Really, I am."

"Thanks, Will. I appreciate even the smallest of help from you," she smiled politely before walking away.

* * *

That night, Piper decided to join the campfire sing-a-longs with the rest of the campers. If anything was going to distract her, this would. She sat with Calypso, Annabeth, Percy, and her two siblings, Katie and Ben (Jason was away at Camp Jupiter) while they all sang the corny camp songs while the fire blazed with the uplifting shades of pink and yellow. It rose higher and higher every time the mood grew more enthusiastic and full of delight. This made Piper happy. Some of the campers even decided to roast marshmallows down at the front to make into s'mores. She wanted one also, but that would mean she would have to shove through the crowd of campers in front of her and climb down the steps just to roast a couple marshmallows for herself. To her, seeing how much work that involved, it wasn't worth it.

Looking through the crowd, however, the one thing that she noticed was that Leo wasn't there. Had she really put him off that badly? Telling him about his future shouldn't have made him that upset, could it? Sure, she creeped him out, but that wasn't a reason to sit and pout about it. Where was he?

"Has anybody seen Leo?" she asked her friends over the noise. "He's normally around at this time."

After bringing that to attention, everyone looked around with furrowed brows. "No," Ben offered. "In fact, I haven't seen him all day. Then again, I had no reason to seek him out."

"I saw him working in the forges," Percy said leaning over her to speak to Piper. "From what I know, he's been there all day. I'm surprised you guys didn't think of that. I mean, come on! He's the son of Hephaestus for crying out loud! Where else would he be?"

Calypso smirked. "True. I just wish he would pop up every once in a while. Is it strange to think he's mad at me?"

"Yes," Piper decided. "Why would he be mad at you? You did nothing wrong."

She cringed. "Oh, but you're wrong there. I may have accidentally broken his latest machine thingy yesterday afternoon."

"His tool cabinet?"

"Yup. I didn't mean to. How can I stop myself from tripping over those darn tools lying everywhere? They're just scattered on the floor! If there's one project I'm glad he's inventing, it's that tool cabinet. Those forges are a pigsty!"

"What's a pigsty?" came a voice from down below.

Everyone turned to see who it was and low and behold, Leo Valdez was making his way up the stairs to the group of friends with a suspicious look.

"Leo!" Calypso declared a little too cheerfully. "I was just saying how much of a pigsty the Ares cabin is! I'm thankful none of us have to stay in that place."

He rolled his eyes. "Pft! No kidding. You could break your neck just walking around in that place. If you ask me, that place is a deathtrap—though I wouldn't be surprised if it was meant to be like that."

Piper tried to hide a snicker. That only brought his attention to her and the atmosphere felt slightly awkward between the two. "Hey, Leo," she said and pressed her lips together.

"Sup, beauty queen? You've got dirt on your face," he smirked as he squeezed past her to sit with his girlfriend.

Touching her cheek, Piper found he was right. It must've been from working in the strawberry fields. "Why didn't anybody tell me?"

Leo shrugged. "Because nobody's as amazing as I am. I'm courteous," he grinned.

"Oh, be quite!" Calypso huffed and slapped his arm playfully.

"What? You disagree?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you dating me? There must be something you like," he teased, leaning his face in closer to her so his nose almost touched her cheek. "Huh? Whatcha so attracted to?"

Calypso blushed and shoved him away. "Stop it!" she giggled.

"Why? You embarrassed?"

"I…No! It's just…"

"Just what?"

"Not here, Leo! You're making a scene!" and she forced herself to ignore him as she joined into the next song, Leo and the rest following suit.

Piper didn't. That little argument they had reminded her so much of her dream it was starting to seriously scare her. It was just like that scene with them in the kitchen when Leo pulled her in and kissed her in front of their kids. Comparing the two scenarios and finding those kind of similarities was enough to convince her that her dreams were the real deal. She was actually visiting his future.

* * *

Preparing herself this time, Piper made sure to head to bed before everyone so there could be a chance she would wake up earlier and not miss breakfast. Seeing how late she was sleeping because of these dreams, she was afraid if she continued like that, she wouldn't be able to keep her early-to-rise routine she had before. Katie and Ben understood though and were more than willing to wake her if needed. She was grateful to have siblings like them.

As she fell asleep, Piper found herself standing in the middle of a machine shop where Leo and his autistic son, Liam, stood, peering into the hood of a truck. Once again, there was music in the background, but this time not blaring. Guess Leo did actually have a job in a garage after all.

Leo wore an oil-stained mechanic jumper while Liam had on a pair of shorts with an old stained shirt that looked like it had seen better days. While his father fiddled with different mechanisms around the motor, Liam watched with the utmost interest. His eyes stayed glued to whatever his hands lay upon and smiled with excitement as Leo worked out the problems the vehicle had.

"I like cars," Liam uttered with a wide smile.

Leo looked over at him with a curious grin. "What's that?"

The boy pointed his finger at his chest and then at the motor. "I like cars. I want to work on cars."

"You wanna work on this one with me?"

With an overly enthusiastic nod, Liam beamed. "Yes, Dad!"

Leo straightened up and ruffled his son's hair. "Okay, then, big man. Let's get you started."

Liam looked up at him eagerly. "You and me!"

"Tell you what," Leo started and wiped his hands on an oilcloth. Grabbing a wrench from his magic tool belt (he still had that thing!), he handed it to him. "There are a few bolts I need to tighten. You think you're man enough for the job?"

Without even thinking it possible, Piper watched the boy's smile grow even wider as he took the tool from his dad and pulled it up to his chest. "Yes, Dad! Yes! I'm a big man!" he said and pointed at his chest again.

Leo laughed. "Alright, big man. Let's see what you got." He leaned down to his height and put a finger on three bolts on the motor. "You see these bolts? I need you to tighten them. It's a big job so you're going to need a lot of concentration for this. Now, bring your wrench up to the first one like this," and he gently guided the tool in Liam's hand to the bolt. Fitting it between the tips of the wrench, Leo held it there and continued to explain. "What you have to do now, is twist it down, like this." Holding onto his hand still, he helped him twist the bolt. Soon enough, it wouldn't tighten anymore and Leo let him take the wrench away.

"You think you can try that on your own?" he asked him.

"Yes!" and Liam brought the wrench up to the next bolt. Slowly and carefully, he tried his best at positioning the tool around the bolt, but when it didn't work the first time, he started to moan with frustration.

"It's okay," Leo assured and helped him. "There you go, now twist."

Liam obeyed. With help every here and there from his dad, Liam tightened all the bolts on the car and it was soon finished. The boy looked more than pleased with himself.

"You did awesome, big man," Leo grinned and offered him a high five, which the twelve-year-old returned with utter glee. "I think you're going to become quite a remarkable mechanic just like your _Papi_ , you know that?"

That received a giddy giggle from the boy and a bashful hug as he hid his face in his father's chest. Leo hugged him back and kissed the top of his head. They really did have an amazing father-son connection. Piper was happy for them.

"How about we break for lunch?" Leo suggested.

"Cookies!" Liam declared with excitement and suddenly ran off to retrieve a lunchbox from off one of the worktables. He tried to press his fingers against the lock to open it and when it didn't work, he moaned with frustration once more.

"Hold on, big man," Leo said and grabbed the box from him. "Let me help you."

Once it was open, Liam quickly snatched the bag of cookies and opened it. At least he was polite enough to look at his dad for permission.

"Why not start with dessert?" Leo grinned. "Your mother won't know." With that said, both he and his boy dug in and each had a cookie…and then a second and a third. They were gone in no time so there was no other choice but to eat the untouched sandwiches.

"Yummy," Liam said as he licked his lips free from peanut butter and jelly. "Mom is a good cook."

Again, Leo laughed and ruffled his hair. "She is, isn't she? These sandwiches must be the best in the country, the world even," he humored the boy. " _Es perfecto._ (It's perfecto.)"

"And yummy!" Liam came in with a huge smile.

"And yummy," he repeated with a smirk. "What do you think about the apple slices? Are they the best in the world?"

A new look came to the boy and he checked his lunch box in order to find the bag of apples. Pulling them out, he nodded with a look of satisfaction. "Yup. Best apples."

"You haven't even tasted them to find out. Try a piece and tell me if they're any good."

Listening to his advice, Liam opened the bag and fished a slice of apple out. He took a bite and chewed it intently, seeming to determine if they were as good as his dad made them out to be. Swallowing, he nodded and finished the rest of the apple slice. "Best apple."

"That's good."

Suddenly the room began to fade away into a new scene showing Leo and Apollo walking down large open halls where marble pillars and different Greek-styled statues lined the walls on either side. The floor was a golden-bronze marble, matching the pillars rising to the ceiling, and reflected the bright torches that were lit to guide them through the Olympus palace. Apollo looked the same as he did when he had appeared at the Valdez house, and so did Leo. This must've been the same day.

Together, they found themselves coming to an open room where a circle of ginormous seats curved around a large hearth burning with immortal white flames, brightening the whole room. Even though she had never seen it first-hand, Piper knew enough to realize that was the throne room where the twelve gods sat proudly during important meetings and whatnot. Zeus's was the largest and placed in the center of them, while the others sat close at its side. Poseidon's must have been the one made from kelp and seashells, while Athena's was probably the one made of architectural pillars and imprints of owls. Aphrodite's, Piper's mom's throne, was made of a pink marble surrounded by red roses, their thorny vines wrapped around the arms. How well those flowers represented their goddess. Roses were stunning to look at, but the thorns could cause pain if you handled them the wrong way. Same went for love. It was beautiful to behold, yet wounding if treated without care.

Hephaestus's throne was, of course to no surprise, made entirely of mechanical parts which moved as if on a timer, clicking and ticking like the inside of a grandfather clock. Apollo's was made in a shining gold that reflected every light that touched it—very hard on the eyes.

"Father!" the sun god declared, his voice echoing through the large halls. "I have come to speak with you!"

Leo looked around in search of the king of the gods, but there was no one. After the echo Apollo had made faded away, he turned to him. "Are you sure he heard you?"

"I almost forgot what it was like being a mere mortal. Yes, Valdez, he heard me. The gods can hear even a simple whimper of help from miles away. My father heard. The question is, will he come?"

"Zeus!" Leo cried out with a hint of anger. "This is Leo Valdez! I have come here for the matter of my family! If it is possible, I would like to speak to you in person!"

At that, there was a sudden whirl of wind like a tornado had unexpectedly decided to blow its way through the throne room. Following this uproar of a storm, was a dark cloud that shot bolts of lighting and shook with thunder. It had formed directly over the largest of thrones and faded just as quickly to reveal the god of the sky slumped back on his throne like he was more than bored.

"What?" he asked in a non-hospitable way.

"Zeus," Leo uttered as if he hadn't expected him to actually arrive. "Uh, I _told_ you what. My family is in danger. Apollo told me he had been trying to convince you to allow them to stay here until the threat of the beasts pass."

Zeus grumbled. "Look, son of Hephaestus: If you've talked to Apollo, you have most likely already heard my answer. No. The answer is no. I have no use for children here."

"You don't have any _use?!_ " Leo spat at the god. "My children are no…no _objects_ to throw around! They. Are. My. _Children!_ Human beings! And if you don't think of us puny mortals as worth worrying about, why don't you think back to when we puny mortals saved your ass numerous times in the past! The least you can do is offer this small sacrifice and help save seven innocent children and my pregnant wife from the wrath of some group of bitter monsters! Can't a god of your rank do even _that_ much in return?!"

"In return?! I did not say I would give you and your friends anything in return for anything! In that fight with Gaea, you killed yourself to defeat her, and in return, you all had a happy ending! No more threat! Why do you mortals always request a reward?! Always the expectations! A god does not simply go around granting wishes like a genie!"

"I'm not asking you for anything but a chance _that my family will live!_ They are my own flesh and blood! I don't expect you, being a god, to understand the amount of pain a mortal can go through at the loss of such a person! All you gods think about is yourself and nothing else! Why? Because you live forever and are capable of doing whatever the hell you want to! Mortals aren't like that and they are constantly trying to live their small lives as well as they can and to be happy! And what do you think will happen if my family dies?! How do you think I will feel?! I couldn't live the rest of my life in peace knowing that my family could've had a chance to stay safe and were forbidden it! Please, Zeus! _Please!_ "

The king of the gods sat there with his beard sparking with an electrical charge, his anger rising. "You think you have the right to even _try_ to force me to feel pity for you?! I am the lord of the sky! The king of the gods! I can smite you with a single blow of my breath if I wanted to! I gave you my answer! Now go before I lose my temper!"

Poor Apollo had been standing there, watching the two yell at each other and wanting so much to help the situation, but alas, he felt useless, which Piper assumed a god rarely felt. Though he was still arrogant, Apollo had really come a long way, even in the present time she was living in. Ever since the quest he went on with Meg, he had become almost a completely different person in the sense that he knew how it was like to be a regular mortal. He'd had to suffer through the trials his father had sent him out to do, which involved almost dying several times along the way. Standing here, now, must make him feel Leo's anxiety.

"Father, please!" Apollo stepped in finally. "I know we have talked this over multiple times already, but I'm asking again, as your son, to break free from your pride and allow Calypso and the children to stay here, even if it's only for a few days. I, along with my friend, know what it means to be a mere human being. Their lives are much different than our own and I will tell you, a lot more delicate. There are dangers from all angles. Please, say you'll come through with this."

Zeus squirmed in his chair with an unimpressed frown, but he was contemplating the situation. Were things going to finally turn around?

"When? How many days?" he muttered.

Leo let out a shaky breath and glanced at Apollo with the corner of his eye like he was searching for reassurance. "I would like to send them over here as soon as possible, if I'm able, and they would leave as soon as the monsters have been killed. I don't know when that will be though."

Zeus did not look pleased. "How many did you say you were going to bring over here again?"

"All of them. There's seven kids total. Believe me, Zeus, when I say they can behave. I have raised my children to know better and to respect others, especially those they don't fully know. They're beautiful children. My family is the light of my life."

"I'm not saying yes if that's what you think," Zeus stated, "but I'll think it over one last time. After this, my answer is final and there will be no more talk about it unless you want to become a statue in one of my halls."

"Thank you, Lord Zeus," Leo breathed with relief. "I understand. Thank you."

* * *

The next scene came right after. In this one, Leo sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, surrounded by his kids with the exception of the oldest two. Little Anita was placed comfortably on his lap and Milo clung tightly to his arm. In his hands was a thick story book filled with different childhood tales such as The Gingerbread Man and The Three Little Pigs. As he read to them, Leo made goofy voices for each of the characters, making the little ones giggle to no end. Milo and Anita, being the youngest, found this incredibly funny.

"And so the bears came home only to find the door open," Leo read. "Worried that they had been robbed, they went in and what do you think they saw?"

"Goldilocks!" Milo shouted out.

"No. When they walked through the door, they saw their three bowls of oatmeal still sitting at the table. Papa Bear walked up to his dish and said grumpily, 'Someone has been eating my porridge!'."

"And then Mama Bear found her dish!" Noah exclaimed.

"Hey," Leo said. "Who's telling the story here? No spoilers!"

Noah and Lily both giggled.

"As I was saying, Mama Bear found her dish and said with surprise, 'Someone has been eating _my_ porridge!'," he read with a high voice. Everyone laughed, even Piper. "Next it was Baby Bear's turn. When he saw his bowl, he cried out with a sad groan, 'Someone has been eating _my_ porridge, and it's all gone!'."

"Because it was just right!" Noah chimed in again. Milo laughed.

"That's right. Now, with fright, the family of bears searched the house for any more surprises and when they reached the living room, Papa Bear found his chair lying on the ground. 'Someone has been sitting in my chair!' he roared. Then Mama Bear saw her chair and gasped. 'Someone has been sitting in _my_ chair!'," Leo said in the same feminine voice.

"You're funny!" Milo cackled and hugged his father's arm tighter.

Leo laughed at his amusement and continued. "Now, Baby Bear found his own chair lying in pieces on the ground and he moaned with disappointment. 'Someone has been sitting in _my_ chair, and it fell apart!'."

Anita pointed to Baby Bear in the picture and murmured, "He's sad."

"He is," Leo said. "He must've really liked his chair, didn't he?"

The two-year-old nodded.

He read on. "Seeing the little chair ruined, the family decided to check their bedrooms. When they got there, Papa Bear huffed with rage. 'Someone has been sleeping in my bed!'. Then Mama Bear found hers and said with alarm, 'Someone has been sleeping in _my_ bed!'. Now, can anyone guess what Baby Bear found when he saw his bed?"

"Goldilocks!" Milo cheered and bounced up and down.

"You're right! When Baby Bear came to his bed, his eyes grew big with surprise at the sight of the little girl with long golden hair tucked under his blankets. 'Someone has been sleeping in _my_ bed,' he said, 'and she's still here!'."

"Then Goldilocks woke up and screamed!" Noah offered with a pleased grin. He knew Leo would try to tell him not to spoil it.

"And Goldilocks woke up to find three big bears standing over her with shock," Leo confirmed. "Then she screamed and ran out the door, never to be seen again. The end."

"Again!" Anita clapped. "Daddy, again!"

"Again? Little lady, I read it two times already! You're going to get tired of it and then you won't ever want me to read this story again!"

"Again!" she declared anyway.

"Do the rest of you want to hear it for a _third_ time?" he asked the rest.

"Do a different story," Lily complained. "What about the one about the three pigs? You haven't read that one in a long time."

"Tell you what," Leo declared as he flipped to the correct story. "I'll read this last story and then you all go off to bed. My throat is getting sore."

They all moaned.  
"Do we have to?" Noah whined. "I like when you read to us."  
"Yes, it's getting late. Now I'm only reading this one once so you'll have to enjoy it while you can." Then he adjusted Anita on his lap and began to read while his children listened patiently.

When it got to the end where the wolf fell into the chimney, Anita giggled, "Fire!" and all of a sudden, both her hands burst into flames. The kids all backed away from her with alarm. Anita just waved her hands around and clapped, making sparks fly onto the rug.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Leo exclaimed and clasped his hands over his daughter's to extinguish the flames. "You're lucky I'm fireproof too, little lady!" He turned her around so she was facing him, and pointed a finger at her. "Don't you _ever_ play with fire, you understand me?"

"Fire!" and she summoned more flames but they didn't last long as Leo put them out once again.

"Anita!" he said sternly. "I said no! No fire! Fire is not a toy!"

She looked up at him with big eyes. "No fire?"

"No fire," he confirmed.

"No fire."

With a sigh, he kissed her forehead. "Good. Now it's time for bed."

"Oh, come on!" Noah and Lily whined. "We don't want to!"

"It's past your bedtime," Leo told them. "I promised your mother that I'd have you guys in bed before she got home. You don't want me to break it now, do you?"

"Well, if you didn't swear on the River Styx…" Noah hinted.

Leo furrowed his eyebrows. "Where did you hear about that, young man? Have you ever sworn on the River Styx before?"

Noah's grin fell.

"Answer me, Noah Paul Valdez!" Leo nearly yelled at him with a concerned face. "Did you?"

He shrunk into the couch. "No… Is it bad?"

"It can be, yes! Those kinds of promises are very dangerous! I don't ever want to find out one of you promised anything on that river, understand?"

"Yes, _Papi_ ," he muttered with tears in his eyes.

Leo sighed. "Noah, I don't want to make you cry, I just want you guys to stay safe. If a person ever broke a promise like that, bad things happen."

"We won't promise anything like that," Noah assured him.

"Good," Leo said with a slight smile. He stood up still holding Anita and grabbed Milo's hand. "It's time for bed now."

* * *

It must've been the same night, because Piper was now suddenly up in one of the rooms with Leo and little Anita. She was changed into an adorable, fuzzy, pink onesie covered with little ducks and hearts. Leo was leaning over her crib, singing her a Spanish lullaby as he stroked her little curls and watched as she nodded off to sleep. When she had, he gently removed his hand and left. Then he entered another room where Milo sat with a teddy bear clutched tightly to his chest, wearing little spaceman onesies. When he spotted his father walk in, he put his teddy to the side and reached out to him.

"Daddy!" he grinned and ran to him.

"Ready for bed?" he asked the four-year-old as he picked him up.

"Yeah!" Milo answered with his trademark, cheeky grin. Piper loved this kid. He was always so happy and enthusiastic about everything. He was also a little replica of his father. "I even brushed my teeth, see?" Milo smiled so wide it looked like it hurt.

Leo chuckled and observed his tiny teeth. "Yup," he nodded. "You did a good job. They're all nice and shiny white."

"I brushed extra-long this time."

"Is that so?"

Milo nodded. "Mhm! And I washed my hands too!"

"You washed your hands? What for?"

"They were sticky!" Milo ginned like he had just told him he found a dollar sitting on the road.

Leo burst out laughing. "Well I guess it's a good thing you washed them then!"

"They're clean now! Look!" and he pressed his hands against his father's face.

"Hey!" and Leo pulled his hands away. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Showing you my hands! They're clean!"

"I gathered," Leo said and set him down on his bed. "Let's tuck you in now, okay?"

"Okay, _Papi_ ," and the little boy lay down and hugged his teddy. His father pulled the blankets up and tucked his son up to the shoulders. After kissing him goodnight, Milo piped up. "Don't forget to kiss Bebby goodnight too!"

"Bebby wants a kiss?"

"Mhm!"

"Alright then," and Leo leaned in and kissed Milo's teddy bear. " _Noche, Milo_ (Night Milo)," he said and turned out the lights before leaving.

Piper watched as he walked down the hall to the next door, the one that had those two familiar signs that read Lily and Noah's room. It was slightly open so he silently knocked. "Is it okay to come in?"

"It's okay, _Papi_ ," called Lily's voice.

When he walked in, he found the two twins each already in their own beds and under their covers. "You two waiting to be tucked in?" They both nodded.

Walking up to Lily first, he leaned over and tucked her in before kissing her forehead. " _Dulces sueños mi pequeña flor_ (Sweet dreams, my little flower)," he whispered to her. Then he went over to Noah and did the same. " _Que duermas bien, amigo. Te veo en la mañana._ (Have a good sleep, bud. See you in the morning.)"

" _Buenas noches Papi_ (Goodnight, Daddy)," he smiled and they both watched him leave the room.

Next was Liam's room. It was filled with car posters and copies of his father's blueprints for previous projects. Model cars sat on shelves with a few Star Wars figurines, looking completely out of place. All in all, this room was a mechanic's room no doubt.

This time, when Leo entered, he found his twelve-year-old son sitting on his bed pouting with half his pajamas on, his PJ shirt in his hands. Liam griped when he saw his dad come in and threw his shirt on the floor.

"What's going on here?" Leo asked and picked his shirt up. "Why are you throwing your clothes around?"

"Buttons!" Liam shouted and wiggled his fingers. "Buttons!"

"What? You can't do up your shirt all of a sudden?" Walking up to him on his bed, he handed his shirt back to him, only he refused to take it. "Liam, put your shirt on. You know how to work with buttons, now stop acting like this. Take it!"

Liam just shook his head and continued to pout. "No."

"Liam," Leo said with frustration. "You can't go to bed half dressed, now put it on! Did you at least brush your teeth?"

"Yes. No buttons."

"Yes buttons. Am I going to have to dress you myself? Is that it?"

He looked away, showing if Leo wanted him dressed that badly, he would, indeed, have to do just that.

"You've got to be kidding me," Leo uttered under his breath and straightened his pajama shirt out. Grabbing Liam's arm, he helped him into both sleeves and adjusted it on him so it wasn't rolled up in any weird places. His son watched as his father pulled his shirt closed with each button. "There," Leo said when he finished. "Now hop into bed and I'll tuck you in."

Liam didn't budge.

Leo put his hands on his hips. "Liam, I'm beginning to lose my temper with you, now why are you acting this way, huh? I'm not in the mood to deal with another one of your fits so come on, into bed!"

"Not tired," was all he got for a response.

"You're not tired? Then look at a book for half-an-hour or until you are! You're acting Milo's age right now! Should I treat you like a four-year-old? You're twelve for crying out loud!"

"It's too dark!" Liam shouted in a way that sounded more anxious than angry. "Dark out there!"

Something was bugging him. Leo picked up on it right away. "Are you afraid of the dark?" he asked in a softer tone. "Do you want a nightlight?"

He shrugged. "Too dark, Dad. Mom's in the dark."

From the expression Leo showed, Piper could see he didn't know how to take that. She had heard about how autistic people actually had a much more advanced way of seeing things than regular humans could. Their intelligence, at least in certain areas, can surpass even the smartest people but most people didn't want to believe such a thing, so instead of seeing the truth about them, they mark them off as dumb and a waste of time.

"What do you mean _Mom's in the dark?_ " Leo asked with unease. "She's been out of the house at night before. She always comes back."

"No!" Liam shouted. "No! It's dark! Too dark! Mom's in the dark!"

"I don't understand what this is about."

Liam looked at him with tears in his eyes. "It's out there! Mom's out there too! It's too dark! And it's big!"

"Oh my gods," Leo breathed and his face went completely pale. He ran to the window and scanned the area but it was too dark to see anything, just like Liam had said. It was too dark. And Calypso was out there somewhere. Was it the monster they had been dreading for so long? Was that what he had meant when he said it was out there? It was big? "Liam, did you see anything?" Leo said and turned around quickly to face him. He was as white as a ghost.

"It's big, Dad," Liam sobbed. "Too big! Too dark! Mom!"

Leo cursed under his breath and ran his shaky fingers through his hair anxiously. He then pointed at his son. "Stay here, okay? I'm going to check something. I'll be right back."

With that, Leo quickly sprinted out of the room and down the hallway. When he got to a window, he hurriedly pressed himself against the wall and peered out ever so slightly. Nothing. Each time he passed a window, he checked to see if anything was out there but was there was nothing to look at. He continued to the next. It was like this every time until he ran out of windows on the main level. He whispered to himself about being able to have a better view if he went upstairs, and he did just that. Before he did anything though, he quickly opened one of the bedroom doors to find Olivia hanging out in Sophia's room with her. They both looked at him with confused faces.

"Dad?" Sophia asked. "What are you doing? Do you want something?"

"Uh, n-no," he stuttered. "I was just wondering where you two were; haven't seen you around all evening. Night," and he quickly closed the door and peered out the main second-level window.

Still searching for the dreaded monster, Olivia and Sophia both exited the room to find their dad pressed again the wall while he pulled the curtain away from the window slightly to look outside.

"What are you doing?" Olivia asked.

Leo turned to her so quickly he banged his elbow against the wall. "N-nothing," he tried in a casual tone, but it wasn't fooling them. "Just looking outside… Admiring the view… Nothing much."

Sophia's face turned a funny shade of yellow. Piper remembered that Leo had said something to her. "Dad, what's going on?"

"I said nothing, now go back in your room and continue whatever you two were doing, okay _bebita?_ "

"This isn't nothing, Dad," Sophia said earnestly. " _¿Están ellos aquí? ¿Está ocurriendo?_ (Are they here? Is it happening?)"

"Is what happening? Who's here?" Olivia asked with puzzlement.

Leo opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Quickly sneaking a glance out the window again, he passed them to search another. "Go to your room, girls. Don't make me repeat it."

Olivia turned to her sister. "What's going on? Did you get us in trouble again?"

"No," Sophia breathed and grabbed Olivia's hand. "Come on."

Together they closed themselves into Sophia's room and didn't come out.

Leo seemed satisfied at that but the anxious look never left. "I could really use your help right about now, Dad," he whispered to himself while he searched their surroundings. "Please. I'm not sure I can do this on my own. Apollo? You told me a god can hear from miles away. If you can hear me, I'm begging you to take my family to Olympus _now_. I can't lose them."

Eventually, Leo ran out of windows to search. When he realized this, he resorted to going back downstairs to peak out the small window on the main door. Then, he dared to turn the knob and slowly and carefully took a step outside. He closed the door behind him and breathed shakily, looking around him.

Nothing.

"Please," Leo whispered again. "Zeus, I know I just got back from Olympus and you haven't given an answer yet, but I'm _begging_ you to save my family. _Please_. _I'll do anything_. Just don't let my children or my wife die."

"Piper!" a new voice shouted out, echoing through the streets. "Piper!" it cried out louder and louder until it was all she heard. "Piper!"

Suddenly she found herself gasping and bolting upright in bed with Ben holding onto her shoulders again. She had her eyes open so wide they hurt. "W-what?!"

"Piper, it's okay," her brother was telling her. "It's only a bad dream."

Her was breathing was rapid and she felt drips of sweat on her brow. Her bed was a complete disaster, her blankets half falling off and her pillow on the floor. "It… It was so awful!" she gasped. "They were being surrounded! Poor Leo felt so alone and helpless! His wife and kids are in danger! He has to find Calypso!"

"Has this ever happened before?" Will asked. Wait, what was he doing here?

"No, not like this," Katie murmured. "We usually have to wake her up, but this is the first time we've seen her have such a nightmare."

"How long was I like this?" Piper swallowed.

"For at least five minutes straight," Will said with concern. "What was it about?"

Piper didn't really want to go through it again, but she sighed and started with Liam and continued to the end.

They all sat there weighing everything she had told them. When someone finally did speak, it was Will. "You should tell Chiron about this. And Rachel actually."

"Chiron? What's he going to do? You guys even said we can't do anything about my dreams because they're in the future."

"I know, but these are getting serious enough that I think we should see if Chiron could help. After being the head of Camp Half-Blood for as long as he has, maybe he's known another camper who had something like this before."

She shrugged. "I guess it's worth a shot."

* * *

 **Ladies and gentlemen: Chapter four!**

 **How did you like it? A lot happened in this chapter. I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I had writing it. Again, feel free to review (and by that I mean please do) and I apologize for any incorrect grammar, spelling errors, and Spanish terms.**

 **Till we read again,**

 **~supworld~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, it took a _lot_ longer for me to post something this time. ****Sorry about that. I don't want to fall into that kind of procrastination, however, if I do, my excuse is because I was busy...even if that may not be entirely true... : l  
**

 **To** LifeInTheGrey: **Thank you so much for your feedback! I really appreciate it.** **:) You know, I was starting to think the same thing, however I didn't really pay attention to fixing anything before. The story just kept building in my head and I was too distracted to actually give anything like that much thought. I'm glad you like the pacing so far though. I was nervous everything was moving too slow.**

 **Here is chapter five.** **:)** **Hope you enjoy. Again, it took a while, so sorry about that. I wanted to rewrite it. I hated the one I had originally.  
**

 **Sorry for any incorrect spelling, Spanish terms, grammar, and/or other. I'm also sorry if this chapter seems to get cheesy a little ways into it. I had an idea and ran with it...  
**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
The kids. I own the kids. No one else. *silent crying* :'(**

* * *

 **~Leo's POV~**

"For crying out loud! Harley, how many times do I have to tell you to stop stealing my tools!" Leo shouted at his little brother. "I need those things!"

From across the forge, the little eight-year-old looked up at him with shock. "I didn't take anything! You have your tool belt! Just use that!"

As cute as his little bro was, Leo was ready to pin him to the wall! Had he no idea how much stress he was dealing with? Capture the Flag was to be played tonight and most of the campers had managed to ruin their only weapons while taking down a highly dysfunctional robot bull Anthony was in the middle of constructing. Somehow, it found its way to ruin half of the camp that morning and now not only was Leo trying hard to deal with the recent weapon repairs, but also the ones from last week that he hadn't had time to get his hands on. To top that off, he had to put his own projects to the side for who knows how long so he could overlook the cabins' progress. Three cheers for being cabin councilor... Yay.

"No, I can't use my tool belt!" Leo explained, trying not to grit his teeth. "It's gone and shut down on me! It's been out of commission for over half an hour! Where are my tools? There were right here on my worktable!"

Nyssa came from behind him with a handful of shields and helmets piled so high, she was forced to stretch her head to the side just to see where she was going. "Excuse me! Coming through!" she grunted and carefully made her way past him. "By the way, I saw your tools with Anthony earlier."

Leo took a step to the side to let her pass. "Anthony! Tools! Now!"

"Just a sec!" came a voice from... somewhere. It was definitely Anthony who spoke but he couldn't catch sight of him through the smoke from the fires and the crowd of rushing campers. Leo had managed to turn a full three-sixty before he finally found the guy pop up from the floor a few tables away. His face was nearly completely covered in grease and is hair was matted from sweat. "Over here!"

"What are you doing over there?" Leo muttered as he jogged over. "My tools! Have you seen them -" Before he could even finish his sentence, Leo stared down at what his brother had been working on and his hair almost - _almost_ \- set to flames from an uproar of anger. "What the hell, Anthony?!" he yelled at him as he pointed to the dissected robot bull lying on the floor, taking up a generous amount of the forge floor space. " _What are you doing?!_ You're supposed to be working on the campers' weapons, not _that!_ "

"I know, but I just figured if I could get this thing out of the way..."

"Well it doesn't look like you're getting it out of the way! Get that thing out of here and get to work!" With that, he turned around and stormed off. He stopped suddenly before remembering why he had checked up on Anthony in the first place. "My tools," he said again as he walked right back. "Have you seen them anywhere?"

The grease-smeared boy stared at him for a second before his eyes grew big. "Oh! Right! Sorry!" and he crouched down to gather an armful of tools lying beside the dismembered bull.

This time, Leo _really_ felt his frustration wash over him. "Seriously, Anthony?! You stole my tools to work on your bull?! Honestly, if I could set you straight...!" He grabbed them from his ashamed brother's arms and marched back to his station, mumbling about how irritating his siblings could be.

Four hours. That's how long he and his cabin had until the games began. They had four hours to sort the damaged weapons, reshape any armor, shields, helmets, and swords, reassemble anything with special mechanic doodads (which a surprisingly numerous amount of campers had for their weapons), overlook their work to make sure each and every individual piece of armor was put together properly (which was almost 100% Leo's job as cabin councilor. Again, three cheers...), and keeping the peace throughout the forges, and that was anything but an easy task. It was lucky for the whole camp that Leo was the only one with fire abilities. Just the image of a cabin filled with frustrated Hephaestus children with heads randomly busting into flames like Anger in _Inside Out_ made Leo smirk. Yeah. Thank the gods he was the only one with that problem.

Just as he sat down with his tools restored and a crumpled shield ready to be taken care of, he heard Harley call his name. Cursing under his breath, he looked up at the young boy sitting almost directly in front of him from a distance. "What do you want, little bro?"

"Can you pass me a hammer please? Vince is using mine."

For what felt like millionth time, Leo hopped off his seat and grabbed the requested tool from his table and brought it to Harley. "Here," he muttered and looked down at what the little guy was working on. "What do you want a hammer for? You haven't even worked on reshaping the frame."

"That's what the hammer's for," Harley explained and raised it for the first blow.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Leo stopped him by grabbing his hand. "It would work a lot faster if you just heat the thing up first. Go reshape after putting it in the fire." He lifted the eight-year-old off his stool and placed him on the ground again. Handing the shield to him, he gently pushed him the right direction and watched him run off. Another sigh escaped him and he made his way to his worktable again.

Leo was overly thankful for his fire abilities today. Not only did it make his work simpler, it was a remarkable time saver. Unlike his siblings, he didn't have to constantly run to the fire to reshape any swords or shields or whatever he was working on. He simply summoned a white hot flame from his palm and reshaped the armor as if it was soft clay. While the others finished an average of two pieces of armor per twenty minutes, Leo averaged around five; six if he was really pushing it. He really needed his fast-paced progress.

Eventually, after a miraculous half-hour without interruption, Leo felt a tap on his shoulder. Swearing, he turned around with an annoyed expression to find no other than the pretty, innocent, face of Piper McLean. "What?!" Leo yelled at her.

Startled, she backed away with large eyes. "Whoa! Calm down, repair boy! I don't mean any harm!"

"Sorry," he grumbled and continued to mold Winston's helmet back into shape. "I didn't mean to yell. I've just been incredibly stressed with getting everything done in time. And it really doesn't help when my siblings don't always do what they are supposed to. I found Anthony fussing with his demonic robot, which was a complete pile of bull... I mean that quite literally by the way."

"Apology accepted." Piper murmured with a slight giggle. "I wanted to apologize too..."

"Thanks, but I would really appreciate it if you would stop interfering our work from now on."

"No, that's not what I meant. Oh, but I do apologize about interrupting you. I was trying to apologize to you about that other day."

Leo finished with the helmet and moved onto another sword. "What happened the other day?"

"My dream. Remember?"

His cheeks flushed and he nodded. "Oh. Yeah. That. It's cool."

"I don't think it is," Piper told him with a serious tone.

"Oh? Why's that?" Leo wanted to kick himself for asking. Why in the world would he want to ask her any more about her stupid dreams? They made him extremely uncomfortable and self-conscious about pretty much everything he did.

"They've been getting worse."

"Go talk to Will about it."

"I did."

"Then go talk to Chiron."

"I did."

Jake called from behind all of a sudden. "Yo, Leo! Are these things ready to head out now, or are you still needing to check them over?"

"Oh, for...!" Leo stopped himself before cursing. The weapons! He hadn't even had time to double-check them! "Leave them there!" he called over his shoulder. "I'll be right there!"

Hopping off his stool for yet another time, he jogged over to the finished weapons and began to look over each one hastily.

Piper followed up to him and crossed her arms. "Are you always this busy?"

"Nope," he murmured. "We're just _really_ behind. Less than four hours to go. Maybe even closer to three."

"Maybe I should just leave you be then. I'll see you tonight at the game," and she ran off without another word. Leo was grateful she knew when it wasn't a good time to talk.

* * *

Nine solid hours in the forges could seriously wipe a person out. Part of him questioned why he had thought it would be cool to be cabin councilor. It sucked. Unfortunately, he wasn't even able to relax and work on his own projects because of supper immediately after the last weapon was handed back out, but at least the only amount of work involved in eating was chewing. With the intense atmosphere that had been lingering throughout the Hephaestus gang the whole day, he wasn't even sure if anyone from his cabin had enough energy to stick it out for the games tonight, but at least the others had weapons.

That's what everyone was waiting for. Capture the Flag. Thanks to Piper, Percy, and Calypso, Leo was dragged along to play the game with them even after his continuous declines so he could finally work on his tool cabinet, but alas, he was won over. The charmspeaker had won her battle, though it was totally not fair. As much as he loved her, Piper knew just the right ways to irritate him. Even his own blood-related kin weren't that bad. Therefore, he clung to the ever-growing payback plan he had set aside specially for her. There may be a few buckets of machine oil involved, but that was really a given. Leo never, _never_ played a prank without some kind of machine juice. The outcomes were much too enjoyable!

As he stood with his armor all secured on his body, his helmet tucked under his arm, and his sword (which he felt quite uncomfortable to fight with. He would rather use his hammer) was held awkwardly in his hand, Leo listened to Chiron walk through the rules everyone knew well enough to follow every word. Leo had asked the one time why he didn't just record his amazing speech, but he'd received an unwelcoming glare from a specific centaur. Had he ever mentioned how intimidating a stone-faced centaur could be? Let's just say he didn't want to set the guy off too often. He wanted to live.

"Maybe I should just build him a recorder myself. Give it to him for Christmas," Leo whispered to Calypso.

"A recorder?" his girlfriend asked with a puzzled expression. She, along with everyone here, was dressed in her armor as well and holy Hephaestus... She. Looked. HOT! Small strands of her wavy honey-colored hair draped down from under her helmet which framed her gorgeous face, therefore causing her miraculous smooth skin to seem perfect which evidently brought out the remarkable gleam in her almond-shaped eyes, which only made Leo want to touch that perfectly-placed freckle beside her left eye again, and that reminded him of her soft, pink lips he had tasted with their first kiss that night and... Was there anything about her that wasn't perfect? Seriously. He was legit searching for a flaw here.

He broke from his trance. "Sure! You know, that device that records your voice and you can play it back whenever you want?" He frowned a little. "Oh yeah. You're a newbie." He could count this as a flaw, right?

"I am not a newbie!" she protested. "I happen to have a whole year of experience in the modern world already."

"You wanna know what we call people with one year experience in the world then?"

"What?"

"Babies," he smirked but was quickly punched in the arm by her fist. Man, he loved her. Wasn't she just fantastic?

"Idiot," she breathed under her breath but there was no denying the smile she was forcing herself to fight off.

He stifled his laughter and continued to listen to the repetitive speech from Chiron.

Soon enough, the crowd of campers were split into two teams. Naturally, Leo was forced to fight on the opposite team as his girlfriend, Annabeth, and Clarisse: the three utmost terrifying girls to battle against. Nico was among the deadliest people (no pun intended) to fight with and so of course he was team red as well (the unfairness of it all!). That left Leo and his siblings, Percy, and Piper on team blue. At least they got a point for a charmspeaker, right? Than again, Drew was on team red. That canceled out.

Once the game was afoot, Leo teamed up with Piper and Percy to take down any intruders and they were doing quite well. They had captured Tanya Rosly from the Athena cabin along with Travis Stoll. Conner was out there somewhere, no doubt on his way to save his bro, but they hadn't caught sight of him yet. That could eventually spell trouble. For now, Piper volunteered to keep the prisoners safe at their post while the boys spread out in search of any more unfortunate enemies who came lurking into their marked territory.

As they walked, they made sure to keep an extra eye out for Conner Stoll and his many tricks. Leo had stupidly walked right into one last time and lets just say it wasn't fun. He was washing maple syrup and feathers from his hair for weeks afterwards.

Breaking their serious game-mode concentration, Leo dared to ask Percy something that had been on the back of his mind for the last two days. "Have you noticed anything weird with Piper lately?"

"Why? Have you?"

He shrugged, not wanting any of this to go too deep. "Ah, two days ago she seemed a little... strange. She wasn't acting like herself."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well," he thought. "Number one, she keeps looking at me weird, as if I have something on my face that doesn't belong. Wait, do I?" and he looked Percy with slight worry.

"The Stoll brothers didn't get your face, Leo," Percy laughed.

"Okay. Good."

"Second?"

"What?"

"Well you said the first thing was that she was looking at you all weird. What's the second?"

"The conversations she has with me. They're all... creepy and girly."

"Girly? Hmm..." Percy pondered with a mocking expression. "I wonder why... Maybe it's because she's a girl?"

"Oh, don't go off being all smart with me, water boy. You're forgetting the creepy part. She kept asking how many kids I wanted and if I could braid her hair. I know she's a daughter of Aphrodite and all, but I know her well enough to know she doesn't talk like that."

"You're right," he cringed. "That is creepy."

"Exactly. At least she had the right mind to apologize for it today. I just hope now she'll let the whole thing go."

"Who knows?"

"Oh, and don't tell her I said anything to you. She made me promise never to mention that conversation to anyone."

Percy laughed and nodded. "Alright, repair boy. My lips are as good as sealed."

Leo grinned. "Great."

All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, a blinding white light emitted through the thick trees directly in front of them, causing both boys to quickly turn and cover their eyes to keep from ruining their vision. A strange metallic noise followed, along with what sounded like a silent car engine. Then, as quickly as it came, both the light and the noise died down and it was safe for the boys to uncover their eyes.

"What the heck...?" Percy uttered with confusion. "What was that?"

Leo's puzzled expression mirrored the son of Poseidon's. "I have no idea. My guess is Connor Stoll."

"Connor? Sounded more like the work of a Hephaestus kid."

He shrugged. "Only one way to find out. Come on, water boy."

"Stop calling me that," Percy grumbled behind him as Leo began to quietly jog toward where the light had been, sword at the ready.

He tiptoed a good twenty yards ahead with nothing in sight. Whatever caused both that light and strange noise must've been fairly strong. The only thing bright enough to cast that bright a ray, was a god, but he didn't think a god would show up like that in the middle of the woods. The chances of finding one of the Twelve standing here seemed unlikely.

Finally, after another yard or two, Leo came to a clearing of trees. In the center, placed on the dead leaves scattered on the ground was a large metallic boulder as large as a minivan and made entirely out of Celestial Bronze. The circumference of the large object smoked and let off sparks while a silent hum came from it.

"What in the world...?" Leo started to say and took a step closer. That was a bad decision apparently because when he did, Leo let out a startled yelp as he felt the ground wrap around him and he was lifted into the air with shocking speed. He was bounced around for a short while before he discovered what had happened.

Only him... This could only possibly happen to him...

Back from the direction he'd come (or rather the direction he thought he came from. It was hard to tell while dangling from a tree), Percy's footsteps were heard tromping through the leaves beneath him. "Leo! Where are you?! What happ- What the heck? What is that thing?"

"You get distracted easily, don't you?" Leo called down to him.

There was silence from his friend before he heard him say, "Oh. There you are. What are you doing hanging from a tree?"

"I just thought it would be fun to dangle from a branch twelve feet off the ground for absolutely no reason while in the middle of an intense game of Capture the Flag," Leo answered sarcastically. "I SET OFF A TRAP YOU FISH-SPEAKING FREAK!"

"Hey! Watch the insults!" Percy retorted. "Wait, if you set off a trap, does that mean we're in the red team's territory?"

"No, that's not for another few yards, now get me down!"

"Man, can't you just burn the net?"

Leo huffed with frustration. "No, I _cannot_ burn the net. I..."

"You what?"

His cheeks turned red with embarrassment and he was thankful Percy couldn't see. "Because _I_ set the trap, okay? It's fireproof."

Down below, Percy burst out laughing. "Oh, man! This is way too good! If only I had a camera!"

"GET ME DOWN FISH BREATH!"

A sound very different from Percy's laughter came from below at that moment. If Leo was able to see what it was, he could have sworn he would've found a futuristic spaceship opening its door, revealing a bunch of mysterious smoke, causing everything to feel slightly eerie. That would have been freakishly awesome, however he doubted that scenario was actually happening... Right? It sure sounded like it.

Before Leo could ask anything, he heard Percy gasp after a few new voices spoke over each other. He couldn't recognize who's voices they belonged to, but he didn't feel he needed to. They were screwed. Leo was trapped in a net suspended up in a tree while Percy stood by himself without anyone to back him up. The blue flag was as good as the red team's property.

What he heard happen next confused him.

"Uh, hi," Percy murmured suddenly, slightly shaken. There was an awkward silence. "Look, I'm sorry, but I don't think I've see you guys at camp before. Are you guys lost? The name's Percy Jackson by the way."

Okay, so maybe they still had a chance to win the game. Struggling in his net, Leo squirmed and attempted to adjust himself to see who these new people were but because he was scrunched up tightly with his back to the ground, he wasn't able to position himself in any way other than what he was already in. Last game he had walked straight into the Stoll brothers' trap. This time, he walked into his own. Talk about embarrassing.

"P-Percy?... Uh... No," came a feminine voice Leo didn't recognize. "No, I don't believe we're lost. Listen, I know this is a strange question for me to ask, but what year is this?"

Another awkward second passed before Percy answered. "Uh... 2016? Why?"

"Oh, good," the girl sighed with what sounded like relief. "What month?"

"June?"

Those were highly odd questions to ask someone. Shouldn't whoever was down there know what year it was? The month was more or less plausible, but the year?

"So..." Percy murmured, "if you're not lost, how come I've never seen you here before?"

"Who are they?" Leo called down. "Intruders?"

A different feminine voice answered him. "Intruders? No! Well, at least we hope you don't think of us that way - Wait. What are you doing in a tree?"

Leo huffed as Percy got to answer her question before he could. "He stepped into his own trap. So you were brought here?" he asked them, changing the subject.

"In a way, yes."

"Hey, that's all great and dandy, but do you think I could get some help here?" Leo called out, squirming in the net again. "I'm starting to cramp up!"

"Excuse my friend," Percy chuckled (Oh, this was so enjoyable for him wasn't it?). "He likes to cause trouble for others but it usually kicks him in the butt in the end."

"I HEARD THAT!" Leo shouted. "GET ME DOWN YOU PESKY FISH LOVER!"

"Gee, enough with the fish insults already," Percy grumbled. "Here," he said and the sound of Riptide being uncapped was heard.

A sudden wave of slight panic washed over Leo as the realization of what his friend was about to do came to him. "Percy, wait!" he called out, but it was too late and Riptide was thrown. Soon enough, Leo experienced his body drop while his stomach was left behind from the immediate drop. He despised gravity the moment he made contact with the ground and he grunted with pain, lying flat on his back with the net still tangled around his arms and legs.

That was the moment Percy finally decided to come over and check to see if he was okay. "Dude, any broken bones?" Oh, such a caring boy...

"I hate you..." Leo groaned.

At least he helped him sit up, though it wasn't without a few winces from the son of Hephaestus.

When he was on his feet, Leo glanced up at the newcomers standing before him. There were four of them. Two girls and two boys. The girls were obviously older then their brothers (Leo was assuming), and both had mainly the same features: dark, curly hair, brown eyes, and pointed ears. The two boys were younger, one around the age of four. These two looked completely different however. While the four-year-old looked fairly similar to his sisters minus his little spaceman onesies he was wearing, the older one had hair the color of honey and freckles speckling his cheeks. He was, what? Maybe twelve?

To welcome them, Leo tried to pull off his trademark smirk as if he hadn't just fallen out of a tree. "Sup?" he asked with a quick wave of the hand. "The name's Super-Sized McShizzle, but you can call me Leo for short."

Then the strangest thing happened. Almost immediately after he finished introducing himself, the four-year-old broke into a huge cheeky grin and ran up to him. "DADDY!" he beamed as he nearly toppled Leo over with a bear hug to the leg.

* * *

 **Alrighty, it's done! A little shorter than the other chapters, but still enough information to leave you with a cliffhanger (I know how much people love those *evil laughter* }:D).**

 **Feel free to review (PLEASE DO!) and share your comments about what you thought of this long-awaited chapter.  
**

 **I hope to post the next one soon...**

 **~supworld~**


	6. Chapter 6

**So here we have chapter six!**

 **Again, please, peoples, feel free to review and let me know what you think of it! It means a lot to me. :) (And thank you for those who have! You guys are the greatest!)  
**

 **Also, I want to let you guys know about a new story idea I have on my mind. I'm not sure whether I'm going to post it or not, but in case I do, I'm calling it _A Light in the Dark_. I won't say too much about it, however, if you want to get an inside scoop on what it's going to be about (if I make it that is), review and I may just answer your questions. ;) If you don't, no worries. I would just like to know if any of you guys are interested in me writing another story along with this one. I would kinda like to.**

 **Apologies for any incorrect grammar, misspelled words, Spanish terms, and/or other.  
**

 **Another quick announcement: I don't believe I will be able to post my chapters so close together like I have been trying to do. I'm going to need time to work on other stuff in between so the wait for you guys might be a little longer than previously. I will do my best to hurry though.**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
Why must I repetitively admit to everyone that I don't own these beautiful characters? Why?! :'( At least the kids are mine...**

* * *

 **~Leo's POV~**

Okay, it was slightly creepy being called Daddy by a toddler in spaceman onesies, especially when he and his siblings had just appeared from thin air.

Leo struggled to pull the boy off him but the little guy had a crazy strong grip on his leg. "Whoa! What the heck? What are you doing? Get off!"

It was as if the kid never even heard him though because he simply held on tighter and started bouncing up and down with great excitement. " _Papá, papá, papá! ¡Te extrañé, papá!_ (Daddy, Daddy, Daddy! I missed you, Daddy!)"

" _Papa?!_ " Leo exclaimed as he attempted to pry his little fingers away. "I'm not your dad! And what do you mean you missed me? I've never seen you before in my life!" He glanced up to the other strangers to help get their little brother off of him but quickly froze at what he saw. Why were they looking at him so weird? They were staring with eyes so large (minus the honey-haired kid) he thought their eyes would fall out. They never even bothered to say anything even though their mouths were hanging wide open. Were they in shock or something?

" _¡Papi! Quiero arriba ¡Llévame, papá!_ (Daddy! I want up! Carry me, Daddy!)" the little Latino begged, pulling on his shirt that peaked out from under his armor.

"Kid, I don't even _know_ you! Get off!" Leo turned to Percy helplessly. "Dude! A little help?!"

He snapped out of his own shock and quickly ran to his aid. Grabbing the boy from under his arms, he, too, tried to pry him off from Leo but that only caused the kid to scream in defiance and actually slap Percy's hand away. Ha! This kid's got attitude...

"I-I'm so sorry!" one of the girls finally, _finally_ stepped in and made her way to the now wailing boy. She gript him the same way Percy had and there was another screech. "Milo, please! Come on! Let go!"

"NOOOOOO!"

At this point, Leo could feel his little nails digging into his leg with rebelliousness against his older sister. If Leo hadn't been so freaked out, he would've cracked a joke or something. Instead, he just stood there awkwardly as he watched the two siblings fight each other. Thankfully, after a few more seconds she managed to pull this Milo kid off and brought him back to where they had been standing earlier but he continued his screaming and kicking.

"DADDY! I WANT DADDY! DADDYDADDYDADDYDADDY!"

"Uh..." Percy cut in after overcoming this strange scene. "I am so incredibly confused right now. Do you guys mind explaining why he keeps calling my friend dad?"

That was the part when Leo's cheeks began turning red.

The girl who looked the oldest, cringed. "I'm really sorry about this! I'm sorry!" She put her hands to her head in an overwhelmed gesture and shut her eyes tight. "Gods, this wasn't the way it was supposed to happen! This is a mess! _Abuelo, ¿qué se supone que debo hacer ahora? (_ Grandpa, what am I supposed to do now?!)"

Leo glanced at Percy with a scrunched nose. He saw Percy mouth the question, _What did she say?_ and he answered back, _Grandpa,_ shrugging his shoulders. None of this made any sense. Here sat a boulder-of-a-machine in the middle of the woods and four kids neither of them knew stood before them, one of which was 100% convinced that Leo was his father. He shivered. How creepy could this get? He was sixteen for crying out loud!

"Hey," Percy declared, taking a step forward. "Let's all just calm down and take things slow, okay?"

Leo smirked. "Careful, water boy. You're starting to sound like your girlfriend."

After flashing him a glare, Percy turned back to the others. "Why not start with introducing yourselves. As I said, I'm Percy Jackson and this is my friend Leo Valdez. Who might you guys be?"

Both girls seemed hesitant to answer as they glanced at each other but with a slight nod from the younger one, the oldest spoke up with a shaky voice. "I'm Sophia and these are my siblings Olivia, Liam, and Milo," she said, pointing each one out.

"It's nice to meet you, guys."

"You guys demigods or something?" Leo asked suddenly, cutting to the chase. He wanted to get back to the game before they lost Capture the Flag for yet _another_ night. It would have been a total waste of those weapon repairs if that happened.

"Dude, seriously?" Percy uttered.

"Really! I wanna get back to the game and kick some more demigod butt!"

A small snicker came from the freckled twelve-year-old. "Dad is funny when he's little."

Okay, now _he_ was starting?! " _What?!_ " Leo asked incredulously. "Look, before another word comes out of your guys' mouths, I demand a proper explanation cause I'm _seriously_ freaked out right now!"

An awkward air seemed to blow over them and not a single sound was made from anyone. The only thing he could hear was the gentle breeze rustling the leaves above them in the trees or the distant shouts from the other campers enjoying their deathly game.

When no one offered even a solitary word, Leo glanced at Percy. "Should we just take them to Chiron? Clearly they made it past the boarder so they aren't mortals... Right?"

With a sigh, Percy nodded. "Are you guys willing for us to lead you to our camp director? It's not a far trek from here, I promise. You won't be very far from your...er... Whatcha call it?" he asked referring to the still sparking machine behind them.

"Doesn't matter!" Sophia snapped immediately. "Yes. Take us to Chiron. That will be good."

Once more, the two guys shared a confused look but agreed to take them.

"Okay, off to Chiron we go!" Leo cheered, trying hard to pretend the whole episode they had just experienced hadn't actually happened.

* * *

The walk back to the Big House was slightly uncomfortable. For one thing, the newbies didn't seem too keen on talking except for little Milo. He was still blubbering about how he wanted daddy to carry him, which sent spiders crawling up Leo's spine. Either he _really_ looked like his father - even enough for twelve-year-old Liam to pick up on it - or they were completely insane. Leo was kinda hoping for the latter. Knowing he looked like someone's dad was mildly disturbing to him. He was thankful Percy was there though. If he wasn't, he would've sworn he was dreaming.

The other thing that made Leo suspicious was the way the new kids walked the grounds as if they'd been here before even when he knew they hadn't. At times, he could've sworn they would end up leading _them_ and then suddenly fall back as if remembering they weren't the ones in charge. Major warning sirens wailed in his head. These kids knew where they were going before they even got there and rational thinking would cause him to assume they were a threat. He decided to keep that thought to himself until he was certain, but he wasn't about to push it aside; not when there was still a possibility.

Once they arrived at their destination, Percy opened the door for the rest of them and they all plodded inside the large, farm-styled house with little to no words other than a thank you. At least they had manners.

"Over this way," Percy waved them to follow and disappeared into the main room where privet discussions were usually held.

Again, when they entered, Leo noticed how they didn't even seem to feel the slightest bit intimidated by the unfamiliar atmosphere here. Swords and shields hanging on the walls, pictures of demigods in full body armor, and the live, giant jaguar head above the mantle of the fireplace... It didn't even faze them! They simply took it all in as if it was the most normal thing in the world to them, and that wasn't what newcomers usually thought of the place. There were normally a lot more gasps of surprise as soon as their eyes rested on... Well, everything. Course they hadn't seen the rest of the camp yet, but observing a room in the Big House was enough for most people.

"Sit down," Percy offered with a friendly smile while taking his helmet off. They accepted. "I'll go get our director. Leo, you cool to keep them company while I'm gone?"

Did he have a choice?

"It's cool," Leo lied and sat in one of the armchairs across the couch before watching his friend enter Chiron's office and shut the door behind him.

 _Thanks, Percy,_ he thought, taking his own helmet off, revealing a head of unkempt, black curls. _Leave me alone with these bizarre strangers... What kind of friend are you?_

Unfortunately, Leo wasn't one to start conversations easily, thanks to his dad, therefore the five of them sat uncomfortably in the deafening silence. The only sound interrupting it was the silent ticking of a clock hanging on the wall somewhere. _Cue the crickets_ , Leo was thinking but the small attempt to lighten his mood didn't work. It certainly didn't make it easy when he knew the kids kept staring at him as if they were obsessed. It was enough to make him fidget with anxiety.

"So..." Leo began with a weak conversation starter. "Where are you guys from?"

It looked like it took a while for his question to compute to them. Eventually though, Sophia smiled politely. "Maine."

He nodded with his bottom lip sticking out. "Wow. You guys are pretty far from home then."

"You have no idea," she muttered under her breath.

"What's that?"

"I said yes," she said a little louder.

He nodded again. There were so many questions he wanted to ask them but he suspected he should wait until Chiron and Percy got there. Something told him that they needed to hear what they had to say. How he knew that, he had no idea. There was just something tugging at his guts and he was pretty sure he should listen to them. After all, he relied on his guts. How else would he work through problems?

Just then, as if they had heard his silent call for them to hurry and get out here, the office door opened and out came Chiron in wheelchair form directly behind the son of Poseidon. Wheeling himself towards the couch where the kids were sitting, he offered them a kind smile and positioned himself beside Leo. "Good evening," he said with one nod as if bidding them a small bow. "My name is Chiron, and this my camp, Camp Half-Blood. Welcome."

"Thank you," Olivia smiled back. "It's great to be here."

"Now," Chiron started after the rest of the introductions were made. "Percy here told me about your little meeting a short while ago. Do you mind explaining how you found yourselves here?"

There was that hesitation again, Leo noticed. These guys were seriously anxious or something because every time anyone asked them even a simple question, they would almost flinch and take an extra two seconds to think about their answer.

Sophia swallowed with great nervousness. "We, uh... we were hanging out at home...and... u-uh... our family was attacked... by monsters. Then we found a man who said that he could help us escape and he pointed us here."

"What about that huge machine?" Leo asked. Ever since that huge bronze boulder appeared, he was dying to check it out and even though he hadn't been standing very close to it, he could _feel_ the amount of power that baby had in it. He had no idea where it came from or what it was built to do, but whatever it was, it needed to have a good, long, look-over by the one and only McShizzle. There was no way he would let these kids take it back without him at least touching the thing to sense what kind of power source it ran on.

"The machine?" Olivia confirmed.

"Yeah!" he asked leaning closer to them. This was going to be great.

"It's nothing... Nothing at all."

His heart sank with disappointment. "It's _nothing?!_ Dude, one does not simply show up in a machine without explaining what it is or what it can do! Please?" he begged. "Tell me?"

A small smile crept up on the eldest face while she studied him a moment before answering. Were her eyes watering? "It's a..." She cleared her throat. "It's a transportation devise. The man gave it to us."

A transportation devise? That was funny. The thing didn't even have wheels.

Just as he was about to ask another curious question about it, Percy cut in with a skeptical look at Chiron. "The man... I know I'm not supposed to jump to any conclusions or anything, but a god is sounding like a decent description for him so far."

The centaur nodded with contemplation. "Maybe." He then turned to the new kids again. "This man. Describe him."

"Oh, uh... Well he had a big build, lots of muscle, a dark beard, business suit... really, I can't remember," Sophia stated, but again, Leo sensed she was leaving things out. What were they hiding?

"I want to sit with Daddy now," Milo suddenly declared as he squirmed from Sophia's arms and ran to Leo, hugging his leg again.

Leo flinched with alarm and stared back at the others. "Okay, seriously! Explain!"

Even more panic flashed before their eyes. Olivia rushed up and grabbed Milo. "You just look a lot like our dad, that's all," she uttered. "Milo's just confused. Don't mind him."

"Yeah, sure," he grumbled. "Easy-peasy."

Liam laughed again and covered his mouth with his hand, hiding his smile. That kid confused him. He looked twelve but Leo was starting to think he was younger. He certainly didn't act his age.

Chiron cleared his throat and brought the conversation back on topic. They talked a bit about the Greek and Roman gods being all non-mythical and very much alive, and then of course about the camp itself and what it was for. Leo wasn't even surprised at their reactions to the whole conversation anymore. In fact, he was half expecting them to take it all in without any second thoughts from now on. Maybe they already knew about this stuff and were kindly letting Chiron explain everything to them again. The only thing that made sense to him was that they had been attacked various times already on their way here and now that they were here, discussing about those types of things was old news.

That brought up another question he wanted to know. "Wait, if you guys are all demigods, then how in the _world_ are you guys siblings? You _all_ came from the same set of parents?"

"Yeah, it's crazy, but we are all blood related," Sophia offered.

"But that means..." Leo thought a second. "Wait, have you guys been claimed yet? Which of you parents is a god? Or goddess? Did your parents actually fall for each other _four times in a row?_ "

The questions definitely caught Percy and Chiron's attention. Both of them were now staring at the newcomers with impatient expressions, hungry for their answers.

"Yes," Olivia said. "I mean, yes our parents fell for each other four times, and no we haven't been claimed yet... Right?" She turned to her older sibling for confirmation, a hint of uncertainty in her voice as if she wasn't sure of her own answer. Sophia nodded.

Chiron smiled at them, somewhat baffled that they were all from the same set of parents. "That's very interesting. I would like to hear more about that, however, since it's getting dark, I believe we can save it for tomorrow. The games should be over by now. I'll introduce you to the campers before we get you settled in for the night and I'm sure Percy and Leo will be glad to show you around the camp in the morning, won't you?" he asked the boys.

"Sure," Percy grinned. "There's lots to see and a ton of people to meet. It'll be fun."

"There's campfire tonight if you guys want to join," Leo offered. "They should be starting soon. You wanna come?"

"Yeah!" Milo cheered with a cheeky grin. "I wanna make shmores!"

Sophia laughed at him. "Milo, they're called s'mores. Sure. We'd love to join."

"Great!" Leo beamed and stood from his seat. "Let's go make some shmores!"

* * *

When they arrived, they found a swarm of campers already at the bonfire singing corny camp songs about farmers that you simply could not, not sing along with. As usual, the Apollo cabin was leading the singalongs while playing guitars or little bongo drums to keep the tempo while everyone joined in and shouted at the top of their lungs for certain lines. It was great. As much as Leo hated singing, this was always the best part of the day (actually a close second because, come on! The forges were great!). At the end of a long day full of training in the hot sun, everyone could gather together and act like regular teenagers at a regular summer camp singing regular songs and eating regular snack foods. Leo longed for moments like these. Without much of a childhood and then finding out he was some kind of demigod, normal didn't really fit into his life and he really appreciated the chance to have even this much. And if these kids were dealing with the same things he'd had to in his past, he was glad they would have the chance to sit down and experience a singalong at camp with them. It was a great antidote for whatever crap life gave a person.

Making their way through the crowd, both Percy and Leo got lucky and led the newbies to a spot closer to the front. It was always hard to find a good seat. More than he wanted to, Leo had often found himself higher up. It was such a hassle to climb up and down the stairs simply to snatch a few marshmallows from the large supply up front. Leo had learned the hard way you had to pack your own before daring to climb to your seat. Otherwise you'd find yourself snackless.

After grabbing a handful of marshmallows, they sat down and made themselves comfortable. Sophia, Olivia, Liam and Milo all crowded together, sandwiched between both Percy and Leo. Piper, Annabeth, and Calypso still hadn't shown up yet, but it shouldn't be long before they showed their faces.

"If you guys don't know any of the songs, don't worry about singing along," Leo shouted to them over the noise from the other campers. "It took me forever just to memorize the one."

"You still sing the part about the horse wrong!" Percy called from the other end.

"Hey! I sing it perfectly! I just tweaked it a bit!"

"Ha! Nice coverup!"

He stuck his tongue out at the son of Poseidon before turning back to the new kids while roasting a marshmallow with his finger. "So, tell me about you guys," he said to Sophia. "You're from Maine. Got that. Anything else?"

She smiled and shrugged. "My sister and I were born in Manhattan before we moved to Maine. We moved when I was two. As you already know, we were all born from the same parents so we all have things in common."

"Such as..." Leo motioned for her to continue, licking his fingers from the sticky mess.

"Our talents. You see, Milo and I are good with our hands. Olivia and Liam are better with their voices. Milo and I work with controlling wind spirits, almost like telekinesis, while Liam and Olivia can summon flames."

At that, his eyes shot wide open with utter shock and surprise. "You mean... You mean I'm not the only fire user in the world right now?! Darn! Of all the times I thought I was unique! It's still cool that they can work with flames too and all, don't get me wrong, but man! I was kinda happy being the only one!"

Sophia laughed with honest humor and Leo felt a sudden stab to his heart, stopping him cold. The way she laughed... That familiar twinkle in her eyes... For that split second, Leo could have sworn he saw...

 _No! Stop it!_ Where in the world did he get that idea? It's been eight years. He was done grieving _._ It was just so weird though. It came out of nowhere without him even expecting it. He'd stopped seeing her face everywhere he went years ago. Why was it starting again? Or... Maybe it wasn't him actually seeing things, but Sophia looking the part. Question was: How in the world could Sophia look so much like his mom?

"What?" she asked with a confused grin.

Leo noticed himself staring at her weird and quickly pulled himself out of it. "N-nothing," he stammered and cleared his throat, the lump getting dangerously large in his esophagus. "What else? What is it you like to do in your spare time?"

"I like working with cars," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm planning on taking over the family business when I'm old enough."

The grin on Leo's face grew and he popped another mallow in his mouth. "Hey! I like your style! I like working with cars too! I mean, working with machines in general I like. What's the family business?"

She turned away and brushed her hand against her face as if wiping something away and coughed. "A machine shop."

"You know this is beginning to feel insane!" Leo said with honest disbelief. "There are so many things we have in common it's actually starting to freak me out. If I could guess, I'd say you and your siblings are the children of Hephaestus like me. A machine shop? Building my own is my biggest dream! Who works there?"

"M-my dad," she nearly whispered and wiped her hand against her eye again. "Ugh! Can't seem to get this dirt out of my eye!" she huffed and picked at it. Leo would have offered her a hankie but because he didn't have his tool belt, he wasn't able to get his hands on one.

"You okay?" he asked her with a small smirk. "The smoke bothering you?"

"No, no," she assured him. "I'm fine. I think it was just an aphid."

"Pesky bugs," he teased and finished off his last marshmallow.

At that moment, Chiron stepped into the center in horse form and the singing around them came to a halt. Just as Leo suspected, none of the kids freaked out at the sight of a half and half creature like himself. Instead, they simply sat intently, ready to listen to whatever he had to say.

Chiron spoke. "Good evening. Before we continue with the night, I have a few announcement to make. Firstly, I want to congratulate the red team on winning tonight's game of Capture the Flag."

There was a mixture of victorious hoots and hollers along with shouts of disapproval from others. Leo grumbled. He'd hoped the blue team could've pulled it off without them. If only he had been there to help them... Those weapons really had gone to waist after all.

After the chorus was silenced, he went on. "And while we are talking about games, I will have you all know that for tomorrow night we will be voting for which game we will be playing, so keep that in mind. Also, before I forget, we have a few new campers here with us. Sophia, Olivia, Liam, and Milo, why don't you all stand for us."

Leo looked over and watched Sophia swallow with a struggle. He didn't even have to look at her to know how anxious she was. It radiated off of her. Still, she stood and motioned for the others to do the same. When they did, Leo could feel everyone's gaze draw towards them with curiosity and excitement. They obviously found this uncomfortable and he couldn't blame them. How awkward was it to have a whole camp suddenly gawk at you while you stood there not knowing what to do with yourself? Leo had been through that and he was more than happy the introductions only happened once.

They sat back down and the announcements went on.

Another conversation later and Leo finally noticed Nico climb to their seat with them. He and Percy said a few words and Nico brought his attention to the new kids. Olivia and Sophia shook hands with him and introduced their brothers to him. It was nice of Nico to actually bring it upon himself to walk up to a few new strangers and make friends. It wasn't often the guy did that and it was only recently that he began to build up his circle of friends other than Leo and the rest of the Seven. The guy needed them.

While the others talked for another half hour, Leo could finally see Piper, Calypso, and Annabeth walk into the circle of demigods enjoying the campfire. Calypso had a bandage on her hand, obviously showing the signs of a battle earlier but nothing too serious. Naturally, Annabeth seemed unscathed while Piper wore a nice bruise on her cheek. They seemed to be searching for Leo and Percy through the crowds so he waved them over with a huge grin. "Over here!" he called over the singing campers and they waved back with grins.

Climbing the stairs to meet them, Calypso leaned in and kissed Leo before making herself comfortable beside him. "Hey, how did you take your loss tonight?"

"Thank you so much for starting with that," he muttered with a roll of the eyes.

"Gosh!" Piper grumbled when she reached their seats. "Where were you guys?! You left me all alone without any backup and only my charmspeak to rely on! A small dagger doesn't do much against a crowd with shields and swords by the way." When she looked up to meet his gaze, her eyes met Sophia and her siblings instead and suddenly stumbled backwards with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Even in the dark Leo could see how white she became. "O-oh my... o-oh g-gods..." Her legs collapsed from under her and Annbeth caught her mid-fall.

"Piper!" Leo stood with shock and helped Annabeth set her on the ground. She was as pale as a ghost. "Piper, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Oh gods..." she continued, this time trembling like she was freezing cold. "Oh _gods_..."

"Apollo cabin! Anyone! Will!" Annabeth shouted with panic. "Hurry! She needs help!"

Everyone stopped their cheerful singing and stared at the scene they were making, their sudden mood change causing the blazing fire to turn a cold shade of blue. Campers were stepping out from their seats to allow several Apollo children out of the way so they could run to Piper's aid.

Leo held his friend's face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Piper, can you hear me? Answer me! What's wrong? Piper!"

She just continued to shiver.

* * *

 **Another cliffhanger for you all! :) This chapter didn't turn out the way I wanted and personally, I'm actually quite disappointed in it. If you guys like it, I'll be very happy and relieved that my own thoughts could be potentially wrong. I was just not in the mood to write. #writersblock  
**

 **Anyway, to recap on what I told you guys earlier, I don't believe I can post things so close together anymore, though I will try hard to get to it when I can. I do plan on finishing the whole story so don't you fret, my readers. The next chapter _will_ be here. I just don't know when.**

 **Chapter seven in the making...**

 **~supworld~**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN PEOPLES!**

 **I'm very happy I'm getting feedback! You guys seem to like my story and that makes me overwhelmingly happy. ^_^**

 **To** goldenlynx16: **OH MY FREAKING GOSH I HAD A TEENY WEENY BITTY BABY HEART ATTACK WHEN I READ THE FIRST PART OF YOUR REVIEW! *0* The first thing I thought to myself when I saw it was _I have an official hater out there now_ , but then I read the rest and I couldn't help but laugh! XD (That was a little cruel by the way, but I guess I deserve it by the amount of cliffhangers I give you all.) You certainly know how to get a person's attention! I'm glad you are so eager to read the rest of my story. It's always great to know it's not a waste of my time.**

 **Also, to** LifeInTheGrey: **You have no idea how great you are! I really enjoy reading your input, especially since I'm considered a first time fanfictioner (That a word? It is now...*cough, cough* the new Shakespeare here *cough, cough*). I do admit I am not the best at including the imagery. I keep forgetting the people reading can't see what I'm seeing in my own head, so yeah. Thanks for pointing that out. :) (It also doesn't help when I'm not always in the mood to write.) As for Annabeth and Percy, I don't know if I'm actually going to do a whole lot with them so far, but might as the story grows deeper. I'm still deciding. I'm also going to point out how pleased I am to hear about whatever you like about my story. I value your advise because you seem to know what your are talking about. Hearing you tell me about things you liked or even admired in my writing is a high compliment for me! ;D And I know the time travel thing is touchy, but I have an idea that I hope will work out. If not, then at least I tried. ;P  
**

 **For those I haven't responded to, I still want to thank you all profusely for reviewing as well! It's the best part about writing! You guys are the reason I keep posting so THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH!**

 **Again, sorry for any inkorrect spelling, the baddest grammar, yodda yodda yodda... (see what I did there? I'm a sad human being...** **: l** **)  
**

 **I talk too much. Here's chapter seven.**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
I own everyone except Leo, Piper, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Hazel, Frank, Calypso, Chiron, Rachel, Drew, Grover, Tyson, Will, Nico... *gasps for breath* I own the kids and that's about it, folks. : l  
**

* * *

 **~Piper's POV~**

Piper found herself standing in a decently-sized master bedroom, it's decor the light shades of grey, white, yellow, and a tint of black hidden throughout the room. To the right of a set of white French doors was a king-sized canopy bed placed against the soft grey walls with white bedside tables on either side. Directly across from the bed was a beautiful, dark, marble fireplace with bright orange flames dancing and emitting a warm glow to the atmosphere, it's light brushing the dark laminate flooring with a yellow hue to match the decor. On the mantle of the fireplace were two flower vases (no surprise) on either end with a large TV hanging in between. Lying in bed were two people: Leo and Calypso. It would've been hard to miss them as Calypso was around seven months pregnant.

Calypso lay wide awake on her back with her head propped up slightly with pillows to balance her weight out while Leo lay on his side facing her, looking half asleep. She was smiling like they had just finished a good conversation and was now enjoying the silence they shared. Suddenly, after watching Leo yawn, she asked quietly, "What do you want it to be?"

"What?" he murmured back, his voice thick with drowsiness.

"The baby," she clarified.

He thought a while. "Human."

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a look. "Leo, I'm serious. Do you want it to be a boy or a girl?"

He adjusted himself so he was propped on his elbow and let out a small sigh. "I wouldn't mind having another boy. What about you?"

"A girl."

He laughed. "We have four already. I think we need to balance them out with one more boy; four girls, four boys. Make it even."

"But what if it's a girl? Will you be upset?"

"Calypso," he said and sat up fully. "Why in the world would I be upset? I'll be happy either way, you know this. I was more than pleased with each of our girls when they were born, wasn't I?"

"Hmm," she nodded and looked down at her swollen belly. "If it was a boy then, what would you want to name him?"

"Diego," he replied almost right away.

"You answered that fairly quickly. Is that what you wanted the whole time?"

With the impish smirk he gave her, it was clear it was. "Maybe."

After a small laugh, she thought a moment. "I like it."

"How 'bout you?" Leo asked. "If it's a boy?"

"I might either want to call him Zachery or Isaac."

"Not bad, not bad. Diego's better, but not bad."

"Okay, repair boy, what about a girl's name? It's a fifty-fifty chance the baby will be a girl you know."

"True," Leo murmured and thought a while. After getting a look in his eye, he reached out and began to rub her pregnant belly. "I like the name Celia."

Calypso smiled at him. "That's beautiful. I was going to say Daisy, but I think I like yours more. Celia means heavenly."

He simply shrugged like he got that a lot. "Hey, I can't help picking better names. I'm just naturally good at it," he teased.

"You're also naturally good at bragging," she smirked back. Then her face suddenly changed with excitement. "Did you feel that? The baby's kicking."

He nodded. "Sure did. Guess someone can't sleep, huh?"

She laughed. "Guess not."

Leo then leaned in and kissed her belly. He whispered something to the baby in a voice too quiet for Piper to hear and kept his head resting there. Calypso ran her fingers through his curls and they sat like that for a long period of time, listening to one another's stillness.

It still baffled Piper to know that they would soon have eight children. What changed Leo's mind to go from three to nearly three times that? It was rare to find families that large in the modern age, and it truly saddened her at times to know that. So many couples after marriage decide that instead of having children together, they would adopt a dog or two and call that their family. Of course, there's nothing wrong with owning pets, but Piper couldn't understand why a married couple wouldn't want actual human kids. They were adorable and it made her appreciate the fact that Leo and Calypso were honorable in that department. And after hearing the bits and pieces from Leo's childhood that he had dared to share with her and Jason, she knew it was important to him to allow his children to live a well established family life. From what Piper understood, he never had much of that other than with his mom.

Unexpectedly, there was a knock on the door and Leo quickly sat up and moved back to his side of the bed.

"Uh, come in," he called. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal Noah and Lily standing there, Lily in ballerina PJs and Noah styling baseball.

"We're scared," Lily whimpered. "There's weird noises outside."

"Noises?" Calypso asked with concern while sitting up. "What noises? What is it?"

"I don't know," she sobbed.

Calypso looked over at her husband with worry. "Leo, go check it out, will you?"

"Yeah," he murmured with equal concern and pulled back the covers. As he got out of bed, Lily ran up and climbed on the easiest way her little legs allowed her, and cuddled up with her mother. Noah, on the other hand, dashed to Leo, begging to be picked up. Lifting him up into his arms, Leo kissed his cheek and left the room in search of the funny noise. They made their way down the stairs and through the main-level's hallway before turning into the slightly ajar door to the twins' bedroom.

"It was coming from outside?" Leo asked his son.

"Yes," Noah mumbled as he pointed to the window and quickly brought his finger to his mouth again, chewing on his finger nails.

Slowly, Leo set him down and edged closer to the window. As he did so, he tried to keep him from thinking it was a big deal by talking to him in a calm and collected tone. "If it was outside I bet it was the branches hitting against the window. There's a breeze out there."

Watching his father check the backyard, Noah shook his head. "Nothing hit our window. It sounded mean."

"Mean?" Leo asked with concern. "How?"

"Like a fight. The garbage barrel outside was even pushed over."

"Did you see anything?"

"Lily said she saw two small creatures crawling around. I didn't though."

The look of worry faded slightly from Leo's face. "Were they hissing?"

Noah nodded.

This time Leo grinned and ruffled his son's hair with relief. "Those were just Ms. Janes' cats picking a fight again. You know how they are: They attack as soon as they see another cat. Everything's good."

"It was the cats?" the little seven-year-old asked with slight hesitation.

Leo picked him up again and adjusted him so he was sitting on his waist. "And that, _mi hijo_ (my son), is why we will never own one. We have enough commotion around here as it is."

"What about Mr. and Mrs. Stephen's cat, Molly?" Noah asked honestly. "You liked her."

"That cat was one of the only cats I ever really liked. Then she got fat," Leo explained.

Noah burst out laughing and hugged on tight. "Can we stay up late with you and Mom?"

"Uh, how late are you talking about?"

"All night!" the seven-year-old beamed. "We can watch movies and eat popcorn and play games and pull an all-nighter!"

Leo laughed at him. "An all-nighter? That's the first I've ever heard you talk like that." Then he seemed to think for a moment with a quick glance out the window with a look that could only be described as troubled. Piper knew exactly what he was thinking. None of them knew how long their normal family life could last, so why not take the opportunity when it came up? "You know what?" he said with a look in his eyes. "That sounds like a lot of fun. I'm not staying up all night though. _Papi_ needs to get some sleep sometime. I've got to get up for work tomorrow and I would prefer to feel somewhat alive in the morning."

Noah pumped his fist in the air and cheered. "Woohoo! Late night!" and he squirmed out of his father's arms to run to the door. "I'll get the popcorn!"

"And I'll get the chocolate," Leo added with a grin a mile wide.

When they got back to the master bedroom with their arms full of chips, chocolate, Cheetos, and popcorn, they found Lily and Calypso cuddled with one another. Their conversation froze immediately after seeing the two boys burst into the room with midnight snacks and gleaming smiles.

"What in the _world_ are you two doing?" Calypso frowned. "It's almost twelve at night!"

"We're havin' a parteeeeey!" Noah declared with a freakishly hilarious dance move Piper couldn't, and wouldn't, replicate. " _Suba la música y vamos a poner esto en marcha!_ (Turn up the music and let's get this thing going!)"

Behind him his father burst into laughter. "Hey, I like this kid! He speaks his _Papás_ language! No, like seriously. I speak Spanish."

"Are we actually having a party?!" Lily jumped with excitement. "Can I call the others? Please?"

"Leo!" Calypso scolded with a look of complete helplessness. "Do something!"

"You're right," he pointed at her. "I should. Lily, go get the others! Oh, and I forgot the dip."

Lily instantly hopped off the bed and rushed out the door while shouting down the hallway, "Get up get up get up get up get up! We're having a party!"

As the boys made themselves comfortable on the bed and opened the bags of chips and popcorn, Leo glanced up to see the not-so-happy-mother-who-wanted-her-children-in-bed look from his wife.

"Leo Valdez, what is wrong with you?! It took me a full hour to put them to bed and now you're telling Lily to wake the whole house?! For a _party?!_ _Really?!_ In the middle of the night?! You can't just do that! You have work tomorrow and if you want to get paid, getting your rest so you can show up for work on time should be your first priority!" Calypso was fumed.

"My _family_ is my first priority," Leo counteracted. "Pass the M&Ms please, Noah. Thank you, my good man."

"And if you want to take care of us, you should be able to put food on the table!" she argued back.

He pulled her head in closer to kiss her. "Cal, please. Just think about it the way I am. What's more important, hmm? You know what I'm talking about."

At that, her face softened and her eyes even began to water a little. With a huff of defeat, she nodded. "Okay, but only this time. We can't go off acting like crazy party people just because we can't sleep."

"Just tonight," he promised with a grin.

"Yeeeeeeessssss!" Noah danced again. "Party time!"

Suddenly, Sophia and Olivia came to the doorway to see what the commotion was all about. "What are you guys doing?" Olivia asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "It's twelve in the morning."

"We decided to have a surprise party," Leo told them and popped a handful of M&Ms into his mouth.

Sophia gave him a face. "A surprise party? For who?"

"Us," he said through a mouthful of chocolate. "Come on in!"

"Seriously?" both girls grinned. "Sweet!" and they hopped onto the bed with the rest and ate the snacks with them.

As Piper watched the girls slowly join in, her surroundings suddenly began to flicker like a flashlight losing power. The voices from the family sitting on the bed cut in and out along with the bedroom and a new scene was seen lying underneath the other, if that was giving the description any justice. It was almost as if she was standing in two visions at once, both of them combined. The one underlying the present vision she was standing in (could she even call it the present vision if it was from the future?) was darker and difficult to make sense of next to the flickering light from the bedroom. If she looked closely and with great concentration though, she was able to make out that it was a scene from outside in the middle of the night. The first thought that came to her was that she could see through the house like an X-ray all the way to the front lawn and even a bit onto the street, but then realized that wasn't what was happening. Instead, trying hard to ignore the constant flickering bedroom which was in fact starting to nauseate her, she could hear new voices underlying the ones from the bedroom scene, though these ones were echoing like they were coming from a distance. They were unclear and hard to hear who's voices they were. Every once in a while Piper would pick up a word or two. It was strange and somewhat eerie. She could even swear she could feel a gentle breeze as if she was actually standing there in real life. Somehow that freaked her out even more.

Soon enough, the room began to strengthen into its original manner again and the scene underneath wasn't visible any longer, making it feel as if it never even happened. That was weird.

As if trying to convince her it never happened, Piper saw Lily walk back into the master bedroom, holding Milo and Anita's hands. Liam was trailing close behind. "I got the others!" Lily gleamed with a cheerful look in her eye. "Sophia! Olivia! We're having a party!" she said once she saw the two new members.

"We know," the oldest grinned. "Who's idea was this anyway?"

Noah jumped up and down with excitement. "Me and Dad!" As if to prove the point, he snuggled up on his father's lap and grabbed the popcorn, stuffing a handful in his mouth. "We're going to watch movies and play board games and get sugar highs!"

Beside Leo and their seven-year-old son, Calypso groaned. "There goes my night."

"Hey, live a little," Leo nudged her. "I thought you already knew what you'd be getting yourself into the day you said _I do_."

With her trademark scorn, she slapped him on the shoulder and huffed. "Oh, you..."

He kissed her cheek and then turned to the kids. "Okay, pop a movie in! This is gonna be great!"

* * *

Unlike all the other dreams she had had of Leo's family, Piper noticed herself standing outside on a gorgeous white beach with amazing waves that would be totally wicked to surf on. Surprisingly enough though, even though it was a spectacular, hot, summer day, the beach was nearly empty except for a few random surfers who were obviously taking advantage of the waves no one else seemed to care about. How sad. Sad? No. It was just plain wrong.

To the far corner of the beach where it was more privet, sat Leo and his two daughters, Anita and Olivia. They were each eating an ice cream cone, with the exception of the two-year-old. She had an ice cream sandwich and was making a complete mess out of it. Chocolate was all over her face and the vanilla ice cream ran down her chin, but she just continued to eat it with content. The three were all in their swimming suits and sitting comfortably on a few beach towels. Lucky for them, even though it was screeching hot out, none of them had to worry about getting sunburned, therefore, no sunscreen was in sight. Or was Olivia even a fire user?

As they sat and talked, they watched little Anita play in the sand with her free hand. Their tone was down and their faces weren't as goofy as they usually are with one another, but the mood was still airy enough to avoid tension.

Leo licked his chocolate extreme ice cream and carried on the conversation they were having. "See, the problem here is that you spend too much time following what the rest of your friends are doing. They go to the movies, you go with them. They stay out late, so do you. They refuse to sit at a certain table in the school cafeteria, then you do too. Olivia, you can't be afraid to be yourself. You're _you_ , not just another person at school."

"But I can't even be myself at school, _Papi_ ," she argued after licking her strawberry cheesecake single-scoop. The wind brushed her black curls against her cheek as she spoke. "I'm not normal. I don't even know what that word means anymore. Here, look." Extending her hand out so her palm was face up, she summoned a ball of fire. "This is who I am, Dad. This isn't normal. For the past however many years, I've been trying to hide away in the shadows at school because of my powers, frightened I'll be called out for being some kind of possessed demon if anyone ever found out. Because of that, even after I wanted to step out and make friends, everybody was so used to me hiding in the corners, they just walked right past without even a single word. Then, after the talent show, people finally saw me for the first time. The other kids actually wanted to hang out with me. I had felt so alone and lost in a place I've been going to for years now and I was just so tired of it. Now I have a chance to have a group of real friends. Don't you know what any of that feels like?"

"Yes," Leo sighed sadly and ran his hand in his hair the way he always does when he feels stressed or down. "Yes, Olivia, I know exactly what that's like. I went through it too—every day since the day I was born. But just because I was different than everybody else didn't mean I went around following everybody else's motives. I made sure I was _me_ and embraced the differences between me and the rest the best I could. I focused on what I was good at, which just happened to be the class clown. I know, it's maybe not as admirable as having a beautiful voice like you—though it could come close," he teased. "All I'm trying to say, is be careful about who you hang out with. I'm happy you've started to make friends, just...make sure you know who they are." Leo then met his daughter's gaze with all sincerity and meaning, a look he didn't normally use unless it had something to do with personal experience. "Olivia, people can be cruel. One of the many questions I have found myself continuously asking myself even at a young age is, _Are they_ real _friends?_ If the ones you have are, then great. I'm happy for you; really I am. I've wanted to see you have fun with people other than your own siblings for a long time, but you have to be careful with these things. Junior high is one of the places where you need to be most cautious, okay?"

Olivia finished her cone and brushed the crumbs off her blue, green, and purple striped bikini and pressed her lips together. "Yeah. Okay."

Picking up on her unimpressed reaction, he brought her gaze to him by lifting her chin with his finger. " _Olive, créeme. Te quiero muchísimo. No quiero que te lastimes._ (Olive, trust me. I love you very much. I don't want you to get hurt.)"

A small grin came to her face. " _Lo sé. Yo también te quiero, papa._ (I know. I love you too, Dad.)"

He smiled back at her while brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Now," he sighed, "about your catching skills. Part of the reason I brought you out here was to see how well you handle a Frisbee after last time."

She groaned and hid her face in her hands. "Oh, _Papi_ , I'll just end up losing it in the waves again. We'll have to buy another one."

"Nonsense!" he assured and stood up, offering his hand to her. "It was the wind's fault. But, uh...just in case, you throw away from the water."

"Thanks," Olivia grumbled and took his hand. "You really are quite the motivator."

After grabbing the Frisbee from beside them, they both backed away from one another a distance far enough for a decent throwing range. Anita continued to play in the sand, still near enough to them. Leo bounced on his feet like he was preparing for a sprint and shook his arms to "loosen those arm muscles" while his thirteen-year-old daughter rolled her eyes at her ridiculous father.

"Just throw it before someone sees us," she complained. "I don't want to be seen with you."

That received an offended stare and a hand on the hip from the insulted son of Hephaestus. "Oh, _really?_ I see how it is. You don't want to be seen in public with your lame dad who just happens to be the son of a fire god and can build pretty much anything he wants to, and on top of that, is a famous demigod in demigod history along with your aunts and uncles after successfully defeating the most dangerous goddess of all time in that huge war for the Prophecy of Seven."

"You died in that," Olivia added helpfully and with a smug grin.

"Hey!" Leo shouted. "In my defense I _chose_ to die, okay? Think of all the bad things that could've happened if I didn't. Havoc would roam the streets. Besides, if I hadn't died, I never would've been able to get back to your mother and neither you nor any of your siblings would be in existence today."

"Good point, now throw the Frisbee."

He huffed with displeasure at her response to his vindication and slumped his shoulders in a very unpleasant Frisbee-throwing stance. "You're just like your mother, you know that?"

"Thank you," she grinned smugly again.

"You're lucky that was a complement," he pointed seriously at her. Then, with a quick calculation to aim the Frisbee towards her, he swept his arm through the air gracefully and the plastic disk spun in her direction. With a determined look in the girl's eyes, she reached out and snatched it with ease.

"Your turn," Leo told her and got ready for her throw.

Olivia looked at him like she wasn't sure but then snapped out of it. Sticking her tongue out for concentration, she made a few practice arm movements to calculate properly before finally letting go. Unfortunately, unlike her father's throw, the Frisbee sailed to his far left and almost hit Anita in the head. Olivia slapped her hands to her mouth and watched as the little girl looked back at her with big angry eyes and chocolate covered lips. "No phrowing!" Anita yelled in her little voice.

Both Olivia and Leo burst out laughing despite the angry two-year-old after they apologized to her.

"We'll try not to hit you," Leo chuckled and grabbed the Frisbee lying in the sand.

* * *

For the first time since experiencing these visions, Piper wasn't shaken awake, and for that, she was grateful. Instead, she found herself gently opening her eyes like any other morning, only... this wasn't her room. Where was she? Morning light shone through a window from her left and the walls and ceiling were made of dark, stained ceder. And a cot... She was lying on a cot. Her cabin didn't have cots. This place was also a lot quieter than the regular hustling from her siblings trying to rush through their makeup before breakfast. People here were actually respectful of the fact that she was still resting.

With a rather nasty headache, Piper sat up and rubbed her face with exhaustion.

"You're up," came a voice from her right.

She turned her gaze to find Leo sitting on the next cot over with a hint of his usual impish grin. There were large bags under his eyes and he had some serious bedhead going on. She didn't even want to mention how wrinkled his clothes were, but lets just say they looked as it they had been scrunched up for a few millennia.

"Leo," she said groggily, trying to forget about her pounding head. "Where am I?"

"The infirmary," he answered.

"The infirmary?" Sure enough, when she looked around, Piper could see there were rows of cots with wounded campers either sleeping or eating breakfast. A few looked her way and made eye contact which made her feel a little awkward. Further down the isle of injured campers, Piper found a few Apollo kids making their rounds with their clipboards and pens, appearing all professional with their stethoscopes hanging around their necks. Will wasn't there this time.

"Why am I here?" she asked.

Leo studied her as if he wasn't sure if he should mention anything, his one eyebrow raised. "Don't you remember what happened last night?"

"I..." She thought a moment. Last night. What had happened last night? She remembered they were playing Capture the Flag and she was left in charge of the prisoners. Leo and Percy had left to catch more and never returned. A full fifteen minutes after they left, she was ganged up on and left to fight a dozen members of the red team on her own (she was still pretty ticked that her friends ditched her, but she had no hard feelings). She was then taken prisoner and had a pretty epic charmspeak duel with Drew (Drew lost by the way) and then got pummeled by Annabeth and her Athena gang. Right after she thought her luck couldn't get any worse, Travis and Conner Stoll managed to sneak the blue flag back into the red team's territory, claiming the win. Was she missing anything? Oh yes. Then there was the campfire. She had caught up with Annabeth and Calypso after taking a trip to the infirmary to deal with her many cuts and bruises. Everyone was already singing when they got to the campfire and...

 _Oh. My. Freaking. Gods,_ Piper thought to herself, her face turning pale. It was impossible. No. She was going crazy. That never happened. Her dreams were just getting to her. Maybe she was simply exhausted from the games and began hallucinating. That could have happened, right? Was it possible that she took too much ambrosia or nectar and a hallucination was the effect? Yeah. Maybe that was it.

"Oh. That," she murmured while calming her trembling voice. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"Uh, no you're not."

"Yes I am, Leo. Look," and she stood up for about two seconds before her friend pushed her back on her cot again. "Hey! Leo, seriously!"

"No, Piper!" he half shouted back at her in a tone he rarely used with her. "No. You're not."

"What do you mean I'm not? Look at me. No broken bones, not rashes, no illnesses. Why are you freaking out so much?"

The look he gave her was one she never saw him wear before. His eyes held a fearful darkness behind them and he held himself as if there was a heavy burden resting on his shoulders. "Piper," he nearly whispered. "Piper, you had a seizure."

For the second time in a matter of seconds, Piper felt her face turn white. "W-what?"

"You had a seizure," he repeated merely mouthing it.

Now she understood why he looked like crap. Leo had stayed with her all night sleeping on a horribly uncomfortable cot, which definitely explained the wrinkled clothes and the bedhead, just for her. It must've been one hell of a night for him and she suddenly felt a stab of guilt for causing him to worry so much. "I did?"

His gaze lowered to the floor and he dropped his head in a defeated manner. "Yeah."

"Gods, Leo. How bad? What happened?"

"It was bad enough that you blacked out. Will and Kelly had to carry you here and..." he voice cut off again with a sigh. "I'm just glad you're feeling better."

Then if it wasn't a hallucination, that meant... No. Don't think about it. The last thing any of them needed was for her to break down again. She could already feel her heart pounding with both anxiety and overwhelming confusion. It was impossible. Everything was getting out of hand. She needed to calm down and take it one step at a time. Breathe. That was the biggest thing. Breathe and prepare herself for both what she expected and also for what she didn't.

Leo must've picked up on her deep thought and spoke up with heavy concern, looking at her directly in her eyes. "What's going on, Piper? What's happening?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, playing dumb.

"I heard Will talking with Austin early this morning about something you told him a few days ago. I want to know."

She was beginning to panic. He was aware something was up. She wasn't ready. After what happened and what could possibly be a reality now, there wasn't any way she could even dare to describe anything with the kind of state she was in. Her headache never ceased and the grogginess of sleep haunted her. What she needed was a proper rest and to start the day without any more questions about what has been happening as of late. "I'm sorry, Leo," she told him, "but I don't think I'm up to discussing it right now. Maybe when I'm feeling a little better."

Nodding with understanding, the corner of his mouth turned upwards, an attempt of a smile in the serious situation. "Sure. Okay, but I want to talk about this soon. I'm also waiting to talk about that discussion we had about who you would rather live with, remember? You left before we could." he smirked, bringing a lighter mood to the atmosphere.

Piper laughed, recalling their game of Twenty Questions. "I remember."

An awkward silence washed over them before Leo slapped his hands on his lap and stood to leave. "I'll be seeing you later today, okay, beauty queen?"

She smiled back at him. "Alright, repair boy. Oh, and Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a great brother, you know that? You didn't have to stay with me all night."

Expecting him to use one of his trademark comebacks, Leo surprised her by smiling kindly and then placing himself beside her, pulling her into a long, warm hug. "I did because you're a great sister," he murmured in her ear. She embraced him a little tighter and felt a smile tug at her lips. She found herself incredibly lucky to have a friend like him. He was always there when she needed someone the most.

When Leo let go, he held her shoulders and stared her in the eye. "Piper, don't ever scare me like that again. I mean it."

"I won't," she whispered, hoping she wasn't promising something she couldn't keep.

He kissed her cheek. "I'm holding you to that."

"Gotcha," and she watched as he left the infirmary with a lighter mood than when she first woke.

* * *

 **So as you have just finished reading, I incorporated a little sibling love in there between Leo and Piper. I just love their friendship and felt like I needed to give their relationship with one another a little more light than they usually get. Hopefully, it will pop up every once in a while throughout the story and I personally can't wait for those moments.  
**

 **Anyway, I really hope you liked this chapter. And don't be afraid to review! Please do! :) It's great to be able to hear feedback and to know that you guys want more. It's important to me! Really, it is! :)**

 **So, again, don't know when chapter eight will be posted, but keep your eye out! ;P**

 **REVIEW! (No pressure, honestly)**

 **On to chapter eight!**

 **~supworld~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Dear procrastination, why do you tempt me so...?**

 **I AM SOOOOOOO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING THE NEXT CHAPTER SOONER! I got distracted by other fanfictions and many different things in life and totally forgot about my story. I also got stuck halfway into the chapter. Sorry you guys had to wait so long. :( You poor readers didn't deserve that.  
**

 **Buuuuuuuuut... After seeing how many people were viewing my story right after updating chapter seven, I saw that just overnight I had received more views than any other time I updated! It skyrocketed and I'm so happy!  
**

 **To** Demigod-Wizard-Gatekeeper: **I'm so excited you are enjoying my story! ^_^** **Don't you fret, my dear reader!** **I can promise you, Leo will find out. Oh, did you think I was going to tell you when? Nice try!  
**

 **To** goldenlynx16: **Yes. I do. It amuses me. Seriously though, it's hard for me not to put them in with the amount of things happening right now, and the story line is only gonna get bigger. I'll try to avoid giving so many cliffhangers, but I give you no promises. ;)**

 **This time, to shake things up, I thought I would bring a new member's POV into action... Ready?... It's Sophia's turn, folks! This chapter will be the eldest Valdez child's view! I figured you guys would want to learn about what she might be thinking throughout all of this, so, here you go!  
**

 **Sorry for incorrect spelling, grammar, Spanish terms, and/or other... (Google Translate is my ally at the moment.)  
**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
: l ... I'm seriously not even going to bother.**

* * *

 **~Sophia's POV~**

Sophia lay in bed, her face streaked with tears and her pillow damp. She hadn't spoken to anyone since Aunt Piper's episode, nor did she move from her bed. The Hermes kids all left for breakfast hours ago, seeming to understand she wasn't in the mood to join them in their daily routines. Even her siblings were gone with Uncle Percy, fulfilling his promise to give them a tour of the camp. That left her alone in the silence, forsaking her to the mercy of her towering thoughts.

In the happenings of a few hours, she had become overwhelmingly stressed by the outcome her and her siblings' appearance had made on everyone. Aunt Piper had had a seizure, Dad was troubled with worry, and the rest of the camp was either questioning if Aunt Piper would pull through or if she was seriously ill. She was fine though. Sophia knew. The cause of her seizure wasn't certain, but she had the feeling it had to do with her and her siblings. All it took for Aunt Piper to topple over was a single glance in their direction. She was perfectly fine before. It was after they made eye contact that she turned pale and fell into Aunt Annabeth's arms. It was because of them. She didn't know how, but Aunt Piper knew something about them no one else did. Sophia was convinced. It was almost as if she could see right through them, catching onto who they really were. This could cause some serious issues and might even change the future to some degree. She was beginning to panic from the possibility. If that was the case, it would be all their fault - all _her_ fault. She was the eldest. The responsibility lies on her shoulders. What if something changed already?

And then there was Dad...

Dad.

He was so young here; a measly, short sixteen-year-old with little muscle on him. It was odd to hear his voice so undeveloped and full of youth. The way he talked - the way he acted - was more immature than his self as a grown man, but not in a bad way, mind you.

Funny. There were so many differences yet so many similarities from the man she knew. His hair had always been a mass of dark curls and those eyes had forever held that special gleam. His facial expressions had the same impish quality and his ears were ever as pointy as her own. The personality, the teasing, the mischievous grins; they were all him. Even the way he carried himself, as if he had nothing to fear and places to be; if he wasn't her father, she was Aphrodite herself. So many times last night, before everything happened, Sophia wanted to grab onto him and bury her face into his shoulder and weep, never letting him go. There had been some close calls when she found herself wiping a stray tear from her eye at the campfire. Luckily, _Papá_ hadn't caught on, but she had begun to worry he might have later on. That was the last thing she wanted: For him to see her crying - for anyone to see her crying, really. She didn't want that. Being caught crying was one of her greatest pet-peeves because it made her feel weak and immature. But after she thought about it, did it even matter anymore? She was at her breaking point. After two excruciatingly long months of nothing but black and silence, and then another episode last night that could've potentially been caused by her and her siblings, someone seeing her tear-streaked face was the least of her concerns.

As if reading her mind, she heard someone enter the empty cabin. "Sophie?"

Not even glancing at who it was, she wiped another tear away.

"Sophia, are you okay?"

She didn't answer. Olivia knew everything about her. Sometimes Sophia swore they were closer then the twins. Her answer wasn't needed for her sister to know she wasn't alright.

She felt her bed dip with Olivia's weight and turned to face her. Like usual, her hair was pinned up in a bun and under a green sweatshirt that wasn't her own, she wore a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt along with a pair of whitewashed shorts. A sword was already strapped to her waist, signifying how she had already been to the fighting arena. That made Sophia think of the boys.

"Where are Liam and Milo?" Sophia asked with a hint of panic. "Where are they?"

"Relax," her sister told her with a hand on her arm. "They're fine. Aunt Annabeth and Uncle Percy are watching over them."

The tension she was feeling loosened a bit. "Oh. What are they doing? Do they know Liam's autistic? Do they know how to care for him?"

"They're picking strawberries. I was with them and I'm going back after we talk. The boys are helping each other the way they always do."

With a sigh, she stared up at the ceiling. "That's good."

"Now," Olivia said. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Considering her answer, she revisited her thoughts she'd had during her time alone.

So many clashed together, all about everything that could have possibly been connected to that one night. The thing that stood out the most was their talk with Hephaestus and the offer he had made. Each minute that passed made her gut twist with guilt and unease. The reality of what they had done struck her so hard, it was difficult to breathe. Everything went by so fast. Her head was spinning and the path they were supposed to travel down didn't seem clear to her anymore. What were they doing? What have they _done?_ A certain thought kept pushing it's way through her mind ever since she climbed into bed and she pondered it, seriously considering if she should just go with it. She was torn but there was only one way to make sure that nothing changed, even if some things would nearly break her to go back to the way it was.

Sophia sat up with a determined attitude. "We're leaving."

Olivia straightened a bit. "What? What are you talking about?"

She pulled her hair up into a short ponytail and got ready for the day. "We're leaving," she said for a second time. "Go get Liam and Milo."

"Why? Sophia, where are we going?"

"Home."

"What?! We can't go home now! We just got here!"

"Exactly. Now's the best time to leave before anything else happens. We don't belong here."

"Of course we don't belong here! This is the past!" Olivia fought, watching as her older sister leaned down to tie her shoes. " And what do you mean before anything else happens? What did we do?"

"I... I don't know, but it isn't good. She knows something. I'm certain."

"Who? Sophia, why are you acting so vague? Tell me!"

She turned to her sister with a serious expression. "Don't tell me you didn't catch on to the real reason Aunt Piper had that seizure."

"Wait, are you saying that was _our_ fault?" she asked incredulously **.** "I don't understand you! How in the world did we give Aunt Piper a seizure? She just might not be feeling well."

"No, that's not it. There's something else. As soon as she saw us, Olivia, her face turned pale and she began trembling. She made eye contact with us and continuously muttered _oh my gods_ until she blacked out. She _knows._ It was because of us."

Her sister was shock stricken for a moment, her arms crossed. "Okay, then if she does, what's the big deal? She was just a little shocked. I mean, it's not every day a person meets people from the future. She'll come out of it."

Sophia huffed with frustration, almost going as far as pulling her hair. "Don't you understand?! Traveling through time is dangerous, not only for us, but those around us! Everyone! Even if our lives stay the same, we could potentially ruin someone else's! Whatever we do, even if it's as small as wearing red instead of blue, could change the future! We were warned about this! And now look what we did! It hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet and we already messed up! We're inexperienced and far from ready for any of this! For Zeus' sake, we couldn't even keep Milo at home!"

"He climbed in without any of us knowing! That wasn't our fault!"

"Yeah, well, the rest is!" and she started for the door only to get pulled back from Olivia.

"You can't blame yourself for Aunt Piper's episode, Sophie! There wasn't anything any of us could do! How the hell were we to know she knew anything?! Her seizure was out of our control!"

"Well she wouldn't have had it if we hadn't shown up, now let me go!"

"No!" Olivia snapped with a deadly glare that made Sophia want to cower back. She definitely got that from Mom. "We're not leaving! Not until we fix things!"

"Stop being so naive, Livy!" she yelled back at her, anger running through her veins. "You don't ever think of the other possibilities! You don't ever think that maybe the outcome of our original plans will end up completely different than what we had intended it to!"

"And you're not thinking that maybe we could actually pull this off!" she counteracted. "Can't you think positive for once?!"

" _Positive?!_ " She pulled her wrist out of her sister's grip and glared at her, tears brimming in her eyes. "You tell me how positive _you_ would feel if you were in _my_ shoes! As the eldest, I have been fighting to keep my tears back ever since that night so you guys had someone to turn to! I've been trying to be the brave one to carry the burden of all your guys' tears on top of my own! Now I'm supposed to carry the responsibility and the stress of this whole time traveling thing?! How am I supposed to think positive when I'm being crushed by the weight of it all?! When I feel like everything is pushing me away from happiness?! You tell me that!"

A softer look came to Olivia and she stared at her with her sad and longing brown eyes. "Sophia... I know it's been just as hard for you as it has been for the rest of us - harder even - but you don't have to go through this alone. We're here for you. Stop carrying the burden on your own and let me help. It's too much for one person. That's why there's the three of us that came on this journey - I mean, yes, Milo came without any of us knowing, but we are still all in this together."

She hated when she did that. Good old reasonable Olivia. She got her every time. The anger Sophia had was still there, but after hearing the way her sister phrased things made her feel like she couldn't contradict her for the fear she'd chop her head off. Her voice was deadly when it came to things like this. Arguments were difficult to win with her, but Sophia was determined to get her way this time. She meant it when she said it was too much. How could she possibly deal with any more?

"Olivia," she uttered. "I don't want you to feel like my decision is because I don't care, because I do. I know you really want to fix things, but I can't do it. I'm going back. That's that. If you still want to stay and figure things out, then I'm not stopping you. Milo needs to get back anyway."

Olivia bit her bottom lip the way she always did when she was tempted to fight back, her hands on her hips. "You're serious about this. I can't change your mind, can I?"

Grabbing her sweatshirt from the nearby chair, Sophia pulled it on and stared her sister in the eyes. "I'm afraid not," and walked past her to the door. Before she reached it, she heard Olivia ask another question.

"When are you leaving?"

"As soon as possible," and she exited the cabin, leaving her sister to herself.

* * *

Sophia passed numerous campers but didn't stop to see if she could recognize any of them. Her destination was clear, and to her, there wasn't anything more important than getting out of there.

If her sister was right, Milo and Liam should be over at the strawberry fields picking the ripe fruit. That was always their favorite thing to do together whenever Mom and Dad would bring the whole family out to visit while Sophia and Olivia spent the summer here. More strawberries went in their mouths than in the baskets, but it never really mattered anyway. Before they could do anything with the ones that had gathered in the baskets, they would eat them from there, leaving only a small handful in the bottom.

Hopefully Aunt Annabeth and Uncle Percy were supervising but the boys were usually good on their own. As long as Liam doesn't find a spider or earthworm they were good. The two creatures terrified him and it was always such an episode to calm him down again. Once, when he was helping Mom in the garden in the backyard, he had found an earthworm and it took nearly an hour just to convince him that it wouldn't hurt him. He had been screaming and throwing rocks at it until the poor thing was more then flat, ruining some of Mom's prized pansies along with it.

Eventually, Sophia came up to the strawberry fields and found several Demeter kids working as well as Aunt Annabeth, Uncle Percy, and the boys. Both were crouched down with the two little ones (really, Liam wasn't little, but his mindset could suffice) and attempted to hold conversation with them. Milo was rather animated while talking, his hands swinging in all different directions as if telling some grand story when in fact he was most likely talking about how much he liked ninjas. Both he and Liam were covered in soil, which was no surprise, and their faces were full of juice, staining their lips a cheery red.

She walked up to them and sat on the ground, squeezing Liam's hand as a greeting. He smiled back at her with a toothy grin.

"I like strawberries!" he declared with excitement. "I have lots in the basket this time, Sophia!"

"I see that," she said with a small smile. "I bet you ate even more though."

Aunt Annabeth looked over at them. "He didn't do too bad actually."

Uncle Percy then reached over her and grabbed a strawberry from her basket and she slapped his hand away. "Percy, stop it! You have a whole field! Pick your own fruit!"

"Berries," he said and stuffed the red "berry" in his mouth, the juice dripping down his chin.

"Strawberries are fruit, Seaweed Brain," she corrected with an eye roll. "Berries are completely different."

"It has the word _berry_ in the name, so to me, they're berries."

With a look that could only be described as _you're hopeless_ , she continued to fill her basket, keeping her guard up for any more fruit stealing from her one and only annoying boyfriend. It just so happens that their relationship as a married couple doesn't change much from this. In fact, the way they act with one another is very similar with Mom and Dad, and that could only mean that the husband came across as one of the many children at times. Uncle Percy and Aunt Annabeth's kids can be quite a handful along with Uncle Percy, but Jasmine, Ashley, and Niki were still a lot of fun. Sophia didn't understand how both Aunt Annabeth and _Mamá_ could handle so many childlike figures.

Milo suddenly stood up from his spot, his bottom full of dirt so that his spacemen on his onesies were only visible as silhouettes, and pointed a strawberry at Sophia's face. "Look how big this one is, Sophie! I found it all by myself!"

Observing the large fruit, Sophia nodded with humored agreement. "You're right. It is pretty big. Good job."

Clearly pleased with himself, he sat back down, his legs spread wide like little children seem to do, and took a bite into it.

"Milo?" Sophia asked suddenly, causing him to turn to face her with the strawberry still held up to his mouth. "Are you enjoying yourself here?"

With a wide grin hidden behind the fruit, he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

"That's good," she nearly whispered. Part of her hated taking him away when he was so happy. They hadn't been to camp at all during their own summer and after everything that has been happening, they still might not be making any trips down here for a while (in the future. Man, this was getting confusing). The kids loved it, especially Milo. The forges and strawberry fields were his all-time favorite parts of the camp and he spent almost an equal amount of time in both places with either Mom or Dad. He loved soaking in the attention.

"Aunt Annabeth said I could make strawberry pie with these!" Milo suddenly exclaimed, causing Sophia's blood to run cold. He did _not_ just say what she thought he did.

"Aunt Annabeth?" Uncle Percy echoed with the same expression he had when Milo had shouted Daddy to... well, Dad.

"Yeah!" Milo declared again. "She makes the best pies!"

Sophia wanted to die...

"Ooooookay, someone needs to stop talking like that," she cut in with a white face. Standing, she stood and picked him up, ignoring the little guy's squeals of defiance. "I'm really sorry guys. Milo doesn't seem to understand who exactly he's talking to. He's still confused. If you guys don't mind keeping your eye on Liam, I'm going to talk with my youngest brother."

She didn't wait for their response before walking off hastily to an area out of hearing distance. These were exactly the reasons why he needed to get back home. Yes, he was only an innocent child, but he couldn't stay here any longer if they wanted to keep their secret hidden. The thought of all the things he could potentially do to affect the future made her stomach do a series of flips. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that Sophia was heading back, herself, anyway.

Stopping beside the weapons shack, she set Milo down in front of her, his screams long gone as his half-eaten strawberry distracted him. Sophia grabbed him by the shoulders and stared him in the eyes. "Milo, promise me you won't call anyone aunt or uncle again, okay?"

He tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

How to explain time travel to a mere child...? "Because they don't know yet. You can't call anyone Aunt Annabeth, Uncle Percy, Aunt Piper, _papi_ , _mamá_ or anything. It's all a secret."

" _¿Un secreto?_ (A secret?)" he whispered in his little voice.

" _Si. Un secreto,_ (Yes. A secret)" she smiled, hoping he was actually catching on. "You can't tell anyone, okay? Not even _Papi_."

He nodded, taking another bite of his strawberry. "Okay."

"Now, do you remember the funny car we rode in to get here?"

Again, the four-year-old nodded. "Yup! It went really fast!"

"That's right. Would you like to ride in it again? Just the two of us?"

The grin on his face widened. "Yeah! Can _Papi_ come too? I want to show him the funny car!"

"No!" she quickly cut in. "Uh... I mean, no, Milo. It would be just the two of us. Daddy can't come."

"How come?"

Oh, little brothers... Why did they have to ask so many questions?

"Because it's a secret. No one knows about the funny car." She stood up and grabbed his non-sticky hand. "Let's go say goodbye to Chiron. Just let me do all the talking. You got that?"

"Yup."

"Good."

* * *

Milo skipped as they made their way to the Big House, his little onesie feet trotting against the grass. It was too bad he didn't have shoes, but the little feet on his PJ's seemed to protect him well enough that he wasn't bothered. He was tough. If he could, Sophia swore he would run around barefoot all the time.

The whole trek to the Big House, Sophia mulled over what she was going to tell Chiron. They hadn't finished their discussion about why they were here, and quite honestly, she didn't want to have it. Olivia could deal with it. As hard as she knew it would be to go back home, it was for the best, not only for her family, but for everyone. No one needed to have their lives screwed up by her and her siblings just because they wanted to fix something that most people would simply have to get used to. Only thing is, if she and Milo were to go back to their modern time, then the future would lay in Olivia and Liam's hands.

Part of her was angry at Olivia for refusing to leave with them, but she knew what her hopes were while they were here and Zeus only knew how much Sophia wanted to help. In fact, it was Sophia who had decided to come first. Olivia and Liam then decided to come along and she was overly pleased to have such siblings. However, now that they were here, Sophia knew how foolish her actions had been. Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! This was time travel, not some kind of adventure out in the wild! The future was involved! And now her younger siblings were planning on changing it? Could this be any more dangerous?

All this went through her mind, Sophia feeling somewhat prepared to tell Chiron, but when they got to their destination, Austin was the first to see them. He had the usual Camp Half-Blood shirt on with a pair of tan cargo shorts.

"Hey!" he called, waving to her. "I haven't seen you all morning!"

"Hi," she smiled politely, offering a small wave herself. "Yeah, I kinda slept in. Yesterday felt pretty long."

"I know what you mean," he smirked, brushing his hair back with one hand. "I'm usually stuck making rounds for all the patients. Don't get me wrong or anything, I like being a doctor, but there are those odd days where I would like to get away."

Nodding with agreement, she pressed her lips together.

He scratched his head with a somewhat shy expression. "Did Percy and Leo give you guys that tour they promised?"

"Percy did, yes. I didn't go though. I slept in."

He pointed his finger at her awkwardly and nodded. "Right. Got it. Long day."

"Right."

Just as she was about to ask if she could get passed him, he spoke up with a different tone, shifting his weight on his feet. "Well, since you didn't get a tour of the place, maybe I could help you out with that. I'm on break anyway. What do you say? Wanna check out the camp?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't -"

"It would be my pleasure. Think of it as a friendly welcome from me to you!"

Oh boy. This was _not_ what she was expecting. "Austin, that sounds great, but -"

"Fantastic!" he beamed and gently grabbed her arm, leading her away from the place she was headed. "I have a feeling you'll just love Camp Half-Blood. You'll make tons of lifelong friends here."

"I can imagine."

"And the games we play in the evenings are always the highlight for the campers. Capture the Flag is the favorite, but I assume you already know after being told by one of the other campers last night."

"Yup."

"And the campfires are great. I'm glad you got to experience one with us."

"Same here."

"Hey, is it true you and your siblings came from Maine?"

Gods, he talked a lot. "Yup. Home sweet home."

"That's really interesting. I have cousins from Maine. Never got along with them though."

Their conversations continued on like that the whole tour and it was torture - an hours worth of torture. Not only did she have to listen to Austin talk about random things that didn't interest her even the slightest bit, but she knew the camp well enough to get herself from the battling arena all the way to the Big House blindfolded... while walking backwards. After all, she and Olivia had been a part of Camp Half-Blood since she was nine and Olivia was eight. They lived here for half the year, every year. If she still didn't know how to get around, she was in serious need of working on her observation skills.

Also, the fact that she was being pulled away from the Big House irritated her. She had to go! Milo needed to get back home before he spoiled something important and she felt more anxious the longer she stayed. Part of her wanted to avoid Austin all together and run for the time machine without an explanation, but that wasn't practical. It was rude and her parents taught her and her siblings better than that. It would also probably seem very odd to the poor guy. Still though, the fact that she was killing precious time in a world that didn't belong to her when she knew she needed out was slowly killing her. How in the world was she going to get out of this one?

Just then, she found the perfect distraction. He was walking across the grounds from the Infirmary, a magic tool belt strapped to his waist. His hair was the appropriate description of bedhead and his clothes were wrinkled like crazy. His walk seemed a little more sluggish than usual too.

Sophia cut Austin off from his tour. "I'm really sorry, Austin, but do you think I could sneak away? I just saw someone I need to talk to."

He looked a little hurt by this, but nodded anyway. "Sure. We can finish our tour later if you want. Just letting you know though, I'll be in the Infirmary from three till six. Anytime before or after that can work for me."

"Okay, thanks!" she smiled kindly and dragged Milo along, his little legs running to keep up with her. "Leo!" she shouted. It was so odd calling her father by his first name like that. "Leo! Wait up!"

Startled, the son of Hephaestus looked over in her direction and waved at her. "Sup, Sophia?"

The closer she got, the less awake he looked. Large bags lined the bottom of his eyes. He must've spent the night with Aunt Piper in the Infirmary. Knowing that only deepened Sophia's guilt. "Hey. Uh, did you just come back from seeing Piper? How's she doing?"

He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "She seems to be coming around alright. When I left she was wanting some time to rest in order to feel more alive, which is perfectly understandable. No one knows what caused it though; the seizure, I mean. It was almost like it came out of nowhere. Odd, don't you think?"

Great. He managed to make her feel even worse. It really _had_ been Sophia's fault. "Yeah, I guess."

"I just hope she won't get a relapse, you know? Once it happens for a second time, the harder it is to get rid of them," he said taking on quieter tone, his worry showing through.

"I wouldn't know." Oh, gods. What a mess! She didn't know how Olivia could fix any of this. Could any of this even _be_ fixed?

Dad's face twisted with a puzzled expression. "The one thing that confuses me the most though, is what I heard Will talking about with Austin."

"And what's that?"

"Well... Early this morning, before Piper woke up, the two of them were standing off to the side, discussing something quietly between themselves. I wasn't close enough to hear exactly what they were saying, but it definitely had something to do with Piper. From what I was able to pick up on, she's been seeing things in her dreams." He sighed with a nervous laugh. "Now the last time she's had dreams that bad was just before she, her boyfriend, and I went on our very first quest and we had to go and rescue him on top of that. Of course that only signaled the start of an even bigger quest. I don't exactly feel like putting my life in danger again any time soon. I've died once already... Long story by the way."

Dreams? Aunt Piper was having _dreams?_ "W-what kind of dreams?" she dared to ask.

Again, he shrugged. "That's what I've been trying to ask her but she doesn't seem ready for any of that yet. Hopefully when she's feeling better we can sit down and talk about it, but until then..."

Could that be another reason for her seizure? As bad as it sounded, Sophia was glad there was possibly another reason for her breakdown. It might not have been their fault after all!

"When do you think she'll be well enough to talk about it do you think?"

He just looked at her with a smirk and raised eyebrow. "Dude, I'm no child of Apollo! For all I know, she could be faking it all! When she's better? Ida know!"

Sophia couldn't help but smile at him. "Okay, okay."

"Hopefully though, she'll cheer up once her boyfriend gets here tomorrow morning."

Uncle Jason was coming? "That will be nice."

"Yeah. We got word he was coming to Camp Half-Blood late last night. He usually switches from here and another camp called Camp Jupiter. He's a pretty busy guy."

At that moment, Milo was felt tugging at her hand and she looked down at him. "Can we ride in the funny car now?" he asked with big eyes.

"Milo!" she hissed at him, her heart pounding with alarm at her little brother's sudden statement. "What did I tell you?!" Honestly! Her brother couldn't keep his mouth shut!

"But you said we could -"

"I know what I said about that, but you can't just... ugh!" With a nervous glance at her father, Sophia tried to calm herself down with a friendly smile. "Sorry, I promised him something and..." Her upturned mouth slowly lowered when she saw his confused half-grin.

Why did he have to look so similar here as he did at home? Seeing him like this made everything so much harder and unfair. It was almost as if time itself was mocking her, and just knowing that she was looking at the same man whom she called father? It made her angry. Not angry as in _I hate your guts!_ but the kind that made her stomach twist into knots and her hands ball into white-knuckled fists while she tried to keep herself from yelling at the world about anything and everything she could possibly think of. It interfered with her thoughts and now she wasn't sure if she wanted to go home at all anymore. This was one of the hardest crossroads she had ever experienced in her life.

"Leo," she nearly whispered.

"Yeah?"

She wanted to tell him; to tell him and get it over with and by tell him, she meant absolutely everything: her thoughts, her fears, her pain... the truth and leave nothing out. "I..."

He waited patiently for her to continue, but after watching his eyes narrow with uncertainty, it was clear he was starting to feel uncomfortable with her dragging out the conversation. "What is it?"

"I... I-I..." She paused. No. She couldn't do it. "Leo, I'm leaving."

The hint of a smile on his face dropped. "What do you mean? You just got here? Where are you going?"

"I know I just got here, but... I don't think I can stay."

"Why? This place is great once you get comfortable with everything! Is it because you don't feel welcomed? You don't feel like you can fit in? Cause I'll assure you I'll fix that in no time! Just watch as I get the whole camp to applaud you the minute you enter a room! It'll be like the president himself was walking these grounds!"

She laughed at the insane picture. "Gods! No! Don't do that! I feel plenty welcomed!"

"Then why are you leaving? Are your siblings leaving too? I mean, come on! We were just getting to know you guys! Don't leave!"

"I don't think you understand my situation," she murmured. "I just can't stay here. It's too dangerous."

"What are you talking about?" he asked incredulously. "Camp Half-Blood is the safest place to be for a demigod."

"I know, but... Just try to understand. Olivia and Liam are staying here, but Milo and I are heading out. I don't think we'll be coming back."

"We're going to ride in the funny car!" Milo grinned, jumping up and down with excitement. " _Papi_ , you should come too! It goes really fast!"

"Milo! Please!" she shouted in a hoarse voice.

"Look," Dad said with a more serious tone, crossing his arms. "I don't know your reasons, but... I guess I can understand to some degree. I've dealt with enough of this stuff to know what it feels like. Life as a runaway... Not exactly a fun life. If you feel the need to go though, then I'm not stopping you. Just know that you are welcome here and you always will."

Sophia had to breathe in a deep sigh to hide the welling sob daring to break through. She threw her arms around him, hiding her face in his shoulder which to no doubt surprised him tremendously. Soon enough though, she felt his arms wrap around her awkwardly as she held onto him.

"Thank you," she whispered with a broken voice. Even though she knew she wasn't coming back, hearing those words coming from her _Papi_ made her feel so much happier. "I'll remember you."

"I'll... remember you too...?" he uttered hesitantly.

Before it became even more awkward for him, she let him go and looked him in the eyes. "You're an amazing person. Don't you forget that."

His brows furrowed a bit with confusion. "Okay... thanks."

"And don't feel like you're less than worthy of anything good, because you are. Life can be hard at times, but it can also give you the greatest gifts a person could only hope to dream of."

"Sure...?"

They stood there in silence, not knowing what else to say except the inevitable.

"Well," Sophia said. "I guess I should head out now. Say goodbye to the others and Chiron for me, okay?"

"Wait, you didn't even -"

"Okay?"

He looked at her weird but then nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

And then she found herself turning away with tears in her eyes, dragging Milo along to the woods where their machine awaited them.

"Daddy!" Milo called behind him. "What about, Daddy?! DADDY!"

"Quiet now, Milo," she begged while picking up the crying boy. "Don't worry. We're just going for a ride in the funny car. Just a ride."

* * *

Sophia and Milo now stood before the time machine, no one else around. It had been hidden in a smoke screen before she got there, but once it sensed her presence, it came back to it's original form, the visible metal shining brightly against the morning sun.

Was she a bad sister? To leave her siblings in a world that wasn't even their own? To fix something that could potentially get them killed? To dare to change fate and possibly anger the gods? Was it selfish of her? She knew it might not be a wise decision to make, but as she told her sister: It was too much. The weight on her shoulders was becoming too heavy for her to carry. This was a way out. Call it an easy way out if you must, but it was out nonetheless.

But... then she thought about what _Papá_ had told her about Aunt Piper. If she's been having dreams, was it possible that could be the reason she could see through Sophia and her siblings? Was it possible that she already knew them? How was that connected? She wished she could pull the pieces together in order to make the whole picture make sense, but she didn't know all the information. Dad hadn't said anything about Aunt Piper having a seizure in Sophia's time, therefore, it had to do with them.

She needed to know how the dreams were involved.

* * *

 **I just couldn't help it! Cliffhangers are like my drug! *_***

 **Also, I felt like this could've been a dryer chapter (maybe it wasn't and I'm just imagining things) so I wanted to grab your attention in the end** **at least** **.**

 **Again, soooooo sorry it took so long. Next chapter will hopefully be completed in the near future, though since this one took so long, I don't know when.**

 **Till we read again...**

 **~supworld~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Don't fear, chapter nine is here! (I'm just so pleased that this rhymes! Again, I'm a sad human being...)**

 **SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG! :(**

 **I feel like this could be a filler chapter but the next chapter will definitely have more stuff going on. Eeeeee! I'm just so excited to get further into the story! This is just the beginning guys! XD**

 **You may also notice that I changed my rating to T instead of K+. I just thought that later on in the story, there might be some things worth the higher rating (not bad, I promise). I know. I'm paranoid.  
**

 **Rated T.**

 **Anyway, here we go! (** **THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS! YOU ARE ALL GREAT PEOPLE!)  
**

 **Sorry for any misspelled words, bad grammar, wrong Spanish terms (Google Translate), and/or other.**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
Yup. You guessed it. I'm not amazing enough to create Leo or the rest of the Seven, however, I _am_ amazing enough to create the kids for all you lovely people. :)**

* * *

 **~Leo's POV~**

"They left," Leo declared as he entered Chiron's office.

The centaur was sitting at his desk in wheelchair form, sorting file folders and papers that were all scattered in numerous organized piles while he flipped through old records, seeming busy but not nearly enough to turn someone away. His office did appear neater than last he saw it. The unnecessary posters on the walls were taken down, giving the walls room to breathe, so to speak, and the books that had previously lived on Chiron's desk for what felt like forever were finally with their original collections on the many shelves. There was even a small potted plant sitting on the windowsill which was totally _not_ Chiron's style, but nonetheless, there it sat, basking in the warm sun.

"Who left?" Chiron asked with a quick glance at him while sorting his files.

"The new kids. They left," he said and walked over to the set of chairs facing the desk and flumped himself down into one of them.

Placing the papers he'd had in his hands down on his desk, Chiron looked at him with concern. "They left," he repeated. "Why? Where did they go? Did something happen?"

"Those are all good questions," Leo pointed a finger at him. "Give me a few days."

"When did they leave?"

"Few minutes ago. Said they weren't coming back. Actually, only Sophia and Milo left. Olivia and Liam haven't gone anywhere... that I know of at least. But yeah. Their gone."

"And you didn't stop them?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

Leo tapped his hands on the arms of the chair and shrugged his shoulders. "Wasn't much I could to, Chrion. Sophia seemed pretty determined to leave."

He cursed under his breath. Leo knew he hated when campers left without telling him. He worried about them, mostly because he cared for each camper like they were his own. Living the life of a demigod was dangerous and he tried hard to keep everyone from dying a miserable death. It was a huge job and he had been at it for a very, _very_ long time. He'd seen enough deaths to last thousands of lifetimes.

Leo tried to reassure his camp director. "She said it was dangerous if she stayed; whatever that meant. It wasn't because she didn't feel unwanted or anything. From what I picked up in her voice, she didn't actually want to go. She felt she needed to."

Chiron nodded faintly and murmured in a quiet voice, "And she took Milo with her."

"Yup," Leo sighed with defeat. He felt crappy for letting them leave, but as he said: there wasn't anything he could've done to change her mind.

Chiron shook his head with a mixture of frustration and worry. "It is unsafe for a demigod to leave camp borders and travel on their own. I'm sure they know this. They have not even had any basic training to tide them over. It is a shock they made it to camp in one piece as it is for everyone, especially with the four of them, and I have seen very few dare to leave a safe haven like this. For the ones who have, I never saw again. For all I know, they could have all died the minute they crossed the borders. I have no way of knowing. What worries me most is the fact that Sophia dragged a four-year-old _child_ with her." He stared him in the eyes. "Are you sure you don't know where they are headed?"

"I'm sure. She wouldn't tell me."

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk, and rubbed his face in a troubled manner. A few seconds ticked by as he thought. After a while, he found his voice again. "She said it was dangerous for her to stay," he uttered, remembering his words. "Did she elaborate on any of that?"

With a hand gesture that meant _I have no idea_ , Leo slumped in his chair. "I'm afraid not. She seemed pretty serious about it though."

Leo could tell he didn't like what he heard and he couldn't blame him. "Do Olivia and Liam know they left?"Chiron asked.

"I... I don't think so. Sophia asked if I could say goodbye to them for her. Guess she was in a hurry."

He sighed with heavy concern. "You better tell them then."

"On my way," and Leo stood up. Before he left, however, he motioned to the plant on the windowsill. "I see you're going into gardening, huh?"

This caused the centaur to show a small smile of amusement. "It's Calypso's. She thought it would be nice to bring a little life into the old office."

Leo's grin widened at that. He liked the idea.

* * *

Walking throughout the camp in search of the two newbies, Leo was given enough time to think about what had happened over the course of two days and suddenly felt as if he had been walking around in a daze. What the hell was going on? After hearing about Piper and her mysterious dreams and then being embraced and given uplifting, yet odd, advice from a total stranger, he was seriously wishing he was the one dreaming here. Something was going on behind his back and he didn't like not knowing. Normally he wasn't a nosey person because, hey, people had their own lives and the gods only knew how many secrets Leo still kept from his friends. So, knowing from experience, was it even right for him to ask Piper what she was hiding for seemingly a while now? He knew him asking about it this morning might have been a bad time with her breakdown and all, but that seizure was the last straw. She had been acting abnormal for days now and watching the way she was slowly falling apart scared him. Like, _seriously_ scared him. If by any chance something bad was happening to her... Gods! He did _not_ want to think about that. He knew what epilepsies could do to a person and it was hard to watch. His third foster mother had suffered with them until her death just after his tenth birthday. It had started out as a single seizure that was supposedly caused by her forgetting to take her medication, but then turned into something much worse rather quickly. He knew the chances for Piper going through relapses like that wasn't high, but he couldn't help himself from worrying - hence the reason he stayed all night with her.

Then there was the whole situation with these new kids.

 _I just can't stay here. It's too dangerous..._

He hadn't made a big deal of it then, but that statement echoed in his ears ever since Sophia spoke them. Dangerous... Something told him it wasn't the kind of danger meant for her or her siblings. It was meant for him - for everyone here. What kind of jeopardy were they putting them in? The possibility of them becoming a threat was growing intensely high, and his suspicions strengthened. He couldn't trust them. Sure, they seemed nice, but didn't they all? The fact that Sophia bothered to say such a thing, though, confused him. He wasn't sure if she was dropping a hint or if it was a slip of the tongue or maybe nothing at all. He could simply be overreacting.

What he wanted to know now was where the heck Olivia and Liam were. He'd checked nearly the whole camp for them and neither showed up. Was it possible that Sophia had meant to say that they were _all_ leaving? If so, he wasn't sure how Chiron would react to that one. Thankfully, though, when Leo neared the battling arena, he knew he wouldn't have to give him any more bad news because from the small distance he was from the large, round, Greek-styled arena, he saw Liam standing by the doorway, watching whatever was happening on inside.

Even though he was autistic, the twelve-year-old was dressed up like any of the regular campers: a camp t-shirt, jeans, armor, and a helmet tucked under his arm. While he observed what everyone was doing inside, he shuffled on he feet and swung his free arm around as if trying to replicate the campers' strikes as they battled. Leo almost considered him to be cute in that childish manner, even if he was roughly four years younger than him.

"Hey, Liam," Leo grinned as he came up to him and patted him on the back.

He turned around somewhat startled and smiled brightly. "Hi!" he said with an enthusiastic wave.

"Whatcha doing out here all alone?"

Liam pointed at his breastplate and lifted his helmet slightly. "I'm going to fight. I'm still learning."

"Well then," Leo affirmed with a nod, "you've come to the right place. You'll be battling monsters like all the great heroes in no time."

The autistic boy repeated his dueling motions he'd been practicing when Leo had first found him. His arm movements were highly exaggerated for sword fighting, but Leo couldn't really say anything. He didn't fight with a sword. It felt too awkward in his hand and over time, he discovered how much he really enjoyed the heaviness of his hammer during mid-swing, the weight propelling the hammer for an epic blow. It also seemed a little more humane (in a way) than a sword. At least it couldn't chop off any limbs.

Then the question came to mind. "If you're here, where's Olivia?"

"In there!" and Leo's gaze followed to where the boy pointed.

His face paled.

What he expected to find was a girl struggling to remember each attack move while battling her trainer. He expected to find a girl who fashioned a few cuts and bruises from her duel with one of the Ares kids. What he didn't expect to find was a girl rhythmically clashing swords in full-out attack mode while effortlessly dodging her opponent's slashes as easily as spinning around. Her strikes were perfectly timed and she didn't hesitate to swing with a heavy force, pushing her opponent back. Each time her trainer made a slash at her, the sound of metal clanging together echoed throughout the arena, mixing with the swords from the more advanced duels surrounding her. In fact, her skills were so well trained, she could've fooled Leo into thinking she had been a part of this camp for years. She mixed so well with everything.

With awe at the ongoing duel, Leo felt Liam slip his hand in his and pull him over to the bleachers inside. There, Leo sat down beside him, all the while his eyes glued to the intensely trained Latino girl, with his mouth hanging open. Each time Olivia dodged a strike, she ducked or sidestepped to keep from being hit, disturbing the dirt on the ground and kicking some back. Marie, the Ares camper she was fighting, seemed to be constantly raising the bar, assessing the level of swordsmanship Olivia was. She was higher than what Leo had expected and from the looks of it, she was still waiting for more.

Two explanations came to mind. 1) She and her siblings had been aware of their parentage and lifestyle their whole life, or 2) they were all the sons and daughters of Ares. Neither of them were impossible, and holy Hephaestus she was good! Marie had drips of sweat beaded across her forehead and that didn't happen often. Olivia was obviously giving her a workout just as the more advanced dueling partners usually did. That was saying something.

"She's good," Liam murmured from the side, breaking Leo's concentration.

He turned to him. "H-how does she know all of that?"

"You and Uncle Percy..." He suddenly slapped his hand over his mouth and his eyes grew wide. Under his hand, a hint of a giggle came out with a muffle. "Oops."

"Uncle... Uncle _Percy?_ " Leo repeated with knit eyebrows. What were the chances he knew a different Percy? He hoped moderately high.

"Nope!" Liam shook his head drastically, changing his mind fairly quickly. "Nope, nope, nope, nope..."

"But you just said -"

"Nope, nope, nope, nope..." he echoed, still shaking his head. "It's a secret."

"Secret? What secret?"

With a finger to his lips, Liam shushed him and not another word was said.

Leo didn't care what anyone else thought, these kids were hiding something, and by hiding something, he meant a _huge_ something. This was the third time he'd caught one of the newbies declare a statement like that. What was he supposed to think? _Oh, you like calling me and my friends Dad or Uncle? That's a perfectly normal thing to do! It's not weird at all!_ Yeah. He could see that happening...

And Olivia? He watched her with great interest. That girl was wicked out there. How did she know so many moves? With the dozen other campers out in the arena dueling each other (Clarisse and Nyssa were ones to watch especially), she fit right in. It was almost as if the whole group of them were in a choreographed dance together or something. The fact was, everything he's noticed about Sophia, Olivia, Liam and Milo - the way they knew their way around, the fact that they acted like they knew a lot of the people here already, the way they randomly called out Dad or Uncle Percy, and apparently now seeming deadly with a sword - Leo knew with certainty that they weren't normal. He officially couldn't trust them. They gave him a funny feeling he couldn't quite understand, but it was better safe than sorry.

Eventually, Marie gave Olivia some time to rest and headed to leave the battling arena. That meant she was to walk over in their direction as Leo and Liam were sitting beside the main doors.

Nearing them, she gave an exhausted laugh and shook her head. "You see that?" she asked while removing her helmet and wiped her forehead with the back of her arm. "That girl's got spunk! Kept me on my feet for almost half-an-hour and already I'm pooped!"

Marie was a short girl with chestnut hair to match. A faint flicker of freckles speckled her nose and round, smile-worn cheeks, while her eyes sparkled a cheery, light green, sending off a smile of their own. She was sweet and lovable and all around one of those people a person truly enjoyed spending time with. Often times, she played the role of an older, more sensible, sister-figure for the group. Maybe he shouldn't be so happy about it, but Leo loved the fact that even though he stood a short 5' 7", Marie was a month older and still narrowly reached 5' 3" making him feel as though he towered over her (a feeling he rarely experienced). She was teeny, but just like him, her personality made up for it. Sometimes Leo would forget she was only a month older and instead believe she was a least a year older. How she ever became the daughter of Ares was a great mystery to him... She was just too nice.

Leo offered a friendly smile, though it felt odd on his lips. "U-uh, yeah. She seems to be quite the fighter."

"A real go-getter." She brushed her chin-length, wavy hair from her face. "I'd hate to be on her bad side. If I had to guess, that chick's the child of Ares no problem."

Exactly what was starting to scare him. "You'd gain a brother on top her too then," he said with a pat on Liam's shoulder. "This guy's gonna show of us some of his moves too, right bud?"

Liam turned to him with excitement in his eyes and nodded. "Sophia says I am good. You do too."

"I didn't... I ... Sure," Leo smirked. Being around this autistic kid, he was gradually learning that even if he didn't make sense, all you had to do was agree with him and he was content. Half the time Leo wasn't sure what he was talking about, but in the end it never really mattered (except for this Dad thing of course. That was plain weird). Liam would forget about the conversation the minute you brought up another subject. "I'll let you practice your moves with Marie for a bit. I have to talk to your sister."

The light in Liam's eyes vanished somewhat. "Oh. Me too! We can talk to my sister."

Shocked, Leo watched as Liam grabbed onto his hand again and tugged on his whole arm, trying to pull him onto his feet. "Hey! Ouch!" Leo had no choice but to stand if he didn't want his limb ripped off. Marie giggled from the sidelines.

"I'll see you later today then?" she asked as Liam began tugging him away from their seat.

"If you can catch up!" Leo called back with a confused smirk.

As Liam dragged him along, he swallowed with unease knowing he was walking - without armor - across a battlefield of dueling campers with sharp swords. It was a distance too. The circled arena was almost large enough to fit a little over a hundred campers if they were to stand an arms-length away from each other at the very least; just large enough to provide room for some serious battle training. At tops, the largest amount of campers able to use the arena at a time was around three dozen, _maybe_ four if they all used the same average duel space, which never usually happened. The more advanced campers liked to fit some extra footwork into their training sessions to keep it interesting. Clarisse, Percy, and Annabeth were each entertaining to watch.

Luckily, to Leo's surprise, they managed to cross in one piece. When they reached the bleachers on the other side of the arena, it was there that Leo was able to see the potential daughter of Ares sitting by her lonesome while downing a water bottle, her helmet off beside her, revealing a head of long curls tied back in a messy bun that was clearly falling out. Her red converse shoes were full of dust and dirt from her previous fight with Marie, and her arms shined with sweat in the hot sun. As Leo slowly came up to her - his arm very much in pain from the twelve-year-old still pulling on it - he noticed how much she looked like her sister. Obviously there were differences such as their facial features and ears (Sophia's were pointed), but aside from that, they had the same skin tone, same eye color, same hair (Olivia's was longer), and... now that he thought of it... Holy Hephaestus! These kids look exactly like him! They even spoke Spanish from what he had heard. Was this just a scary coincidence?

Olivia seemed to noticed him now standing there awkwardly with her younger brother, her face taking on a somewhat startled expression. Dare he say, Leo could almost swear she looked nervous.

"Ah, don't worry," he smirked, finally bringing himself to say something. "I don't bite."

A flicker of a smile came to her lips. "H-hi," she said, barely audible, fingering the lid of her water bottle anxiously.

"Hi," he laughed with the same nervousness. He was still fairly put off by how well she fought only minutes ago. "I was told I could find you here," he explained while motioning to Liam. "You busy?"

Breaking from her uncomfortable stare, she shook her head. "No! No, not at all. Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

"Yeah. Uh... yeah, there is. Look, I just wanted to tell you... Oh," he paused, remembering where he was. The battling arena wasn't exactly the best place to discuss this. The shouts and grunts the other campers made while training were noisy enough for Leo to resort to speaking in a voice slightly louder than usual. The days where Clarisse La Rue was instructing were always the loudest. She had the tendency to yell a lot. "Uh, do you think we could find a place I can actually hear?"

Looking around at the ongoing battle the other sweaty and determined campers fought, she nodded and faced her brother. "Liam, do you think you'll be okay to practice on your own while I talk with Leo? I'll only be a minute."

With a childish nod, the boy put his over-sized helmet on. "Yup! A minute. Yuppy, yup, yup, yup," and dashed towards Marie again who was refreshing herself with her own water back where they had been sitting before. And just like that, they were free to leave.

Once he led her out one of the side doors, the ones that faced the beach, he pulled her away from the other campers and stood facing her. It was hot out, but the trees offered a generous amount of shade for them to cool down as they talked. Seeing how much of a workout Olivia just had, she seemed to need it.

Now, how was he going to give the news? Just blurt out the truth the way it was, or take it slow? After all, her sister literally just ditched them. Without rehearsing anything, he was left to speak on the fly. "I spoke to your sister this morning."

This statement obviously took her by surprise and her eyes grew wide for a moment. "Y-you did? What did she... What about?"

He shrugged. "Not a whole lot, to tell you the truth. Kinda surprised me though. I don't really know what it's all about, but maybe you would know more than I would. After all, I _am_ a stranger to you guys. However," he said pointing at her, "if it's about the hidden secret to mastering the crazy skill you have at the sword, I'd be more than happy to be considered a close friend, if you know what I mean...?"

Olivia didn't even chuckle. In fact, his quick speech seemed to depress her even more. Depress? No. That was the wrong word. The one he was looking for was a mixture of perplexity, anger, and panic. If it was possible, Leo could say she created a new emotion. What would he call it? Perplexangeranic? He smirked on the inside. That was fun to say. Perplexangeranic.

"No," she said reasonably. "It's not about mastering anything."

"Then you know what this is all about," he pointed out.

She winced as if reminding her pained her in some way. "She and I had a fight this morning."

"Must have been some fight."

She gave him with a strange look. "What do you mean?"

"Well," he uttered, scratching his head. "Because... she left. Her and Milo. They're gone."

"Gone?" Olivia asked with a somewhat disappointed tone. She didn't even sound surprised. "Like, _gone_ gone?"

Again, he shrugged. "I can't really say, though she did tell me she wasn't coming back. Could still happen if you give it time. Thing is, she didn't really want to leave from what I picked up on."

Muttering something under her breath in Spanish (and if he heard right, it was a curse word), she rubbed her face. "I don't think she'll be back," Olivia murmured. "She was talking about leaving during our spat anyway."

Somewhat concerned, he stared her in the eyes. "Look, I know this isn't any of my business, but Camp Half-Blood really is the safest place for a demigod. She left and dragged you guys' four-year-old brother along into the a world filled with dangerous monsters. I don't mean to freak you out by the way, but it's true. Did she say where they were going? If we catch up to them, maybe you and I could head out and bring them back -"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No," she said shaking her head. "We can't. You can't follow where they're heading."

"Well, if you want, you can get them yourself. I don't have to go with you -"

"I said no!" she snapped at him so suddenly, he flinched (it was a very manly flinch by the way. Totally not the kind that was followed by a little squeak. That's so not cool).

After clearing his voice (from not squeaking), he studied this strange girl standing in front of him. Her and her sister had had a fight. Sophia left because it was too dangerous to stay, dragging their little brother along, and Olivia wouldn't allow anyone to bring them back. Was it possible that Sophia was running from her own sister? After all, she was insane with a sword.

The possibility made his stomach turn.

Stuffing those kinds of thoughts away, he took a breath, feeling somewhat bitter. "Fine. You know what? It isn't my business to bud in. I'm sorry. Just don't tell me I didn't warn you about the dangers out there in the real world. If your sister isn't careful, she could find herself in a sticky situation along with you four-year-old brother with no way of protecting themselves."

She bit her lip and shook her head, looking as if she was trying hard not to fight back. Her thoughts won her over though. "I practically begged her to stay, Leo. In fact, before we even began our spat she decided to leave. I couldn't stop her and I know she wouldn't want to be brought back. She's stubborn and refuses to think of how to deal with things in a way that doesn't involve an easy way out. She's selfish and narrow-minded and..." She crossed her arms and huffed. "The fact is, she doesn't want to help me and so she left. She just _left!_ Sophia's supposed to be my big sister! Big sister's don't bale! They don't... don't just give up when they know others are involved! She says it's too dangerous! She knew it was dangerous from the start and that's why she asked me and Liam to come along in the first place! Now what?! She's supposed to make me and Liam to do all the work she intended for the three of us to do?! It's a three person job, at least! I understand she has weights piling on her shoulders, but we do too! She isn't the only one hurting! She isn't the only one to... to..." She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "I don't know! It's just not fair!"

This was the kind of moment Leo would usually throw a joke in. With this situation however, he didn't think it would be appropriate. Whatever was going on between the two of them went pretty deep and he didn't feel like getting involved in the middle of their girl fight. There were certain things about her rant that put him on edge though. Olivia mentioned something about it being dangerous as well without him even bringing up the fact that that was why her sister had left. Also, what kind of "work" was Sophia leaving Olivia and Liam to do on their own? _It's a t_ _hree person job, at least!_ That's what she said, but what did it mean?

Playing it safe, Leo said the only thing that could potentially get him out of this lecture. "I, uh... I'm really sorry for budding in like this. I guess I worry, you know? For someone to leave camp like that... It's fairly rare. I just wanted to let you know the kind of risk your sister is taking when walking around the mortal world. It's not an easy life."

Olivia shut her eyes tight and took a fresh breath to contain herself after her rant. She opened them again with a kind smile. "Thank you for your concern. Really though, they'll be fine. I know where they're heading and what they're doing. They'll be safe, I promise."

"Good," he nodded with a relieved sigh. "That's all I wanted to know."

"Okay."

Following the end of their conversation was a few seconds of uncomfortable silence once again. Gods, he hated that. Watching her bite her lip once more before turning her gaze away, he suddenly felt like he didn't know how to get himself out of this two-person "meeting" without seeming slightly rude. _Yup, good talk, but I gotta go! Bye!_ He was grateful though, because not even ten seconds after that thought, he saw Liam running up to them with his sword bobbing in his hand in an incredibly dangerous way, causing the random camper to edge away from him.

"Olivia!" her brother cried out. "Olivia! I did a cool move!"

She spun around and smiled at her brother. "Hi, Liam. Oh, careful with that sword! Please don't run!"

Obeying, he slowed to walking until he was with them. "Olivia! I did a cool move! Come watch! Dad, you too!"

"Liam!" Olivia shouted with red cheeks. "Stop it!"

Seeing the bashful twelve-year-old blush and put his hand to his mouth again, Leo knew he couldn't make a big deal out of it twice in a matter of minutes, though it still creeped him out in ways indescribable, so he simply smiled and shrugged. "It's okay. Let's go see your wicked moves."

* * *

The day was almost over, the sun setting fast, and his second visit with Piper had been finished for an hour now. He would've stayed longer if it hadn't been for Will. For some reason (though he had figured it had to do with the dream thing again), along with Chiron, he was overly concerned about Piper getting her rest and taking it easy. Visitors were only permitted twice a day to give her time to sleep and apparently spending the night on the cot beside her all night was considered visit #1. The second time he dropped by, he only had twenty minutes or something like that. Not a whole lot of time, but enough to see how she was doing. She seemed a little livelier than before, but still quite tired.

Now that supper was finished and all the other things he had to do at the forges were done, he made his way over to the group of campers gathering together in front of the dining pavilion for their usual games. This time, just as Chiron had announced last night, they were voting for which game they were to play tonight. From the front of the group, Chiron called out different suggestions and equal amounts of hands popped up at the name of each game. This was going to be a tough decision.

Then Leo spotted Calypso standing on the outskirts of the crowd, already wearing her getup minus her helmet and he smiled. An idea was maturing in his mind at the very sight of his girlfriend. Neither of them had been able to spend much time one-on-one these last few days and he was getting impatient. He was slowly dying from Lack-Of-Calypso-Interaction and the only thing that could cure him was spending time with his insanely hot, ex-goddess girlfriend. The others wouldn't need either of them, right? From the looks of it, they probably weren't even going to be playing any games. In his eyes, he didn't see any reason why they should care whether they joined tonight's game or not anyway. It was optional. Besides, if everyone else will be off in the woods, that meant Leo and Calypso had the grounds to themselves.

Sneaking up behind her, Leo wrapped his arms around her abdomen from behind, and kissed her cheek. From the sudden tension he felt from her, he realized he'd surprised her more than he thought and experienced a hard jab to his gut from her elbow, causing him to stumble back with the wind knocked out of him. She spun around with a murderous look on her face and yelled at him, which only meant everyone was now facing them with confused expressions. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO KISS ME LIKE THAT?! I HAVE A BOYFRIEND WHO WILL SERIOUSLY...! Oh! Oh my gods," she blushed and stared at the nearly dying boy crouched on the ground, holding his stomach and wheezing. "Leo! I'm so sorry!"

"Yup," he coughed in an octave he normally didn't use. "I'm good. Great hit though." He coughed again with a thumbs up. "Least I know you can hold your own..." He wanted to shrink into a ball and wait for the pain to pass.

Calypso knelt down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure? I hit you pretty hard."

A few snickers were heard from the random camper watching the whole scene.

Okay, scratch the wanting to curl into a ball thing. He wanted to die.

"Really," he tried in his regular voice, though it was still raspy. "I'm good. Just..." he coughed. "Startled, that's all."

Kissing his forehead, she smirked. "Alright, repair boy. Just don't scare me like that again."

"Gotcha." He looked at the crowd behind her and grew red. Everyone - and he meant _everyone_ (except Austin from the Apollo cabin which was highly odd. He loved the evening games) - was staring at him with amused expressions, even Olivia and Liam. Too many times in the last two days, was he embarrassed. He was afraid his cheeks were going to forever hold that red color. Thank you so much, Calypso.

Thankfully, once everyone's attention was pulled away from him, they decided on a game. By this time, however, the sun was nearly down and they were in need of lighting torches and carrying flashlights. Surprisingly, Capture the Flag wasn't chosen. Tonight, they decided on playing a twist on Cops and Robbers. Really though, it was pretty close to the same thing.

Watching the campers dress in their armor and talk about whether they wanted to be a cop or robber (you could guess which ones the Stoll brothers wanted to be), from a distance away from everyone else, Leo took an opportunity to tap Calypso on the shoulder. "Hey," he whispered, his voice back to normal as the pain ceased. "Are you planning on playing?"

With a funny smile, she nodded. "Of course. Weren't you?"

"Weeeell..." he said with his eyes squinted and head tilted. "I was at first, but now that I'm talking to you, a _way_ better idea came to mind. I'll be honest: it has to do with you."

Her eyes grew big. "Leo!" she hissed.

"No! No!" he quickly cut in, his hands raised in defense. "I just wanted to spend some time with you, to talk on the beach or something. We haven't been able to see much of each other these last few days and I'm a little low on Sunshine."

She rolled her eyes in annoyance (it was adorable when she did that!) and stole a glance at the others. "Aren't they going to wonder where we are?"

He waved that away. "Nah. They'll be so busy trying to take down every camper they see to pay any attention. Besides. It's dark."

Finally, after a little while for her to think it over, she nodded with a grin. "Okay, but we should head back as soon as the games are done. We don't want the harpies catching us on the beach after curfew."

With a dorky grin, he winked at her. "Or we could spend the night in bunker nine..."

 _Slap!_

"Ouch!" he muttered rubbing his shoulder where her hand print was most likely molded. "Okay, okay. We'll be back before ten."

And so when the group of campers headed towards the woods for their epic game of Cops and Robbers, Leo ran off with Calypso, her hand in his, in the opposite direction.

Leo wasn't sorry to say that they were there until fifteen minutes past curfew. It was well worth it.

* * *

 **Finally, after how many days without updating, I finished! Super fun chapter to write, by the way!**

 **Again, this is now rated T. :)  
**

 **Sorry for taking so long.**

 **Tenth chapter soon to be posted...**

 **~supworld~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the late update. :(  
**

 **So this could be the chapter many of you have been waiting for! What do you think I mean by that? Read and find out! (This chapter may be a bit longer than the previous ones)  
**

 **As for reviews: Please don't be afraid to share your thoughts, even if it's in the form of a PM. A regular review would be preferred, but I would love to hear some feedback. :) Each review lifts my mood to write. I love reviews! I also want to thank all of you who gave the time to do so. You are fantastic people. ;P**

 **I have an announcement peoples! I now have a poll question on my profile! It's my very first one and I would really appreciate if you checked it out! _Please_ vote! :D (Like, I'm serious. It would totally make my day)  
**

 **Anyway, on with the story.**

 **Sorry for any mistakes, including wrong Spanish terms. (Google Translate)  
**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
If I owned the Seven, I would gladly shout it out to the world. Seeing how I do not, I will claim the kids instead. I am their creator! Mwahahahaha! o_O**

* * *

 **~Piper's POV~**

Leo's whole family was crowded in a small circle in the center of their large living room floor, all talking at once with eager excitement. Even Sophia and Olivia were grinning wildly. Leo seemed to be crouched down in the center of them, while Calypso stood on the outside ring of their children, attempting to pull them back to give him room.

Here, her stomach underneath her maternity clothing seemed to have grown some, signifying her eighth month of pregnancy. The baby was close to the due date and they all must be extremely excited for the new family member to arrive. Seeing how many children there were already though, Leo and Calypso must have had some experience in patience as well as the older kids. It made Piper wonder whether this would be the last one. For the mother's sake, she hoped it was. Childbirth was not easy... Not like Piper has gone through it before, but you know, it's a known fact.

"Give him room, okay? Everyone, back up. Lily, darling, please don't pull your brother out of the way and Noah... Noah! Stop hitting your sister!" Calypso scolded over top everyone else's voices, including Leo's. The struggle was real. Quickly, before their squabble could get any worse, she pulled the two apart. "Why doesn't everyone sit on the floor in a circle and we'll give each of you a chance to hold them, okay? Just calm down," she told them.

The twins quickly sat at the foot of the large, white, leather couch. "I can't wait!" Noah beamed, one of his front teeth missing. "Dad, can I hold the spotted one first?"

Finally, once having to be told for a third and fourth time, the rest of their siblings noticed their mother's constant order for them to sit down, and they obeyed, forming a wide circle around their father. Once they had, Piper had the chance to view what they were all talking about. There, in the middle of the room, Leo crouched over a large,white box with little holes circling the upper rim along with the top part of the lid that sat close at its side. In the white box held a bunch of fresh straw and two furry guinea pigs: one brown with black spots, and another orange and white. Carefully, he reached in and retrieved the spotted one and handed it to Noah.

"Careful," he told his son while placing it in his lap. "They're scared. Don't let them run away."

"I won't," Noah smiled kindly at the small creature squirming on his legs. He laughed as he scratched its hind-side, causing the creature to vibrate and make weird noises. "It's purring!"

From his side, his squeamish twin stared at the rodent with secret interest. "They purr?" The dress Lily was wearing was adorable. It was a light pink with little white daisies scattered across the fabric. Her hair was even pulled up in a white headband with a bow on the side.

"Yeah! Look at it!"

Just as Leo handed the other guinea pig to Liam, quietly telling him the same thing he'd told Noah, Lily said, "They're kinda like cats."

Calypso smiled down at her daughter and stroked her soft honey-colored hair. "I suppose. See? They aren't bad, are they?"

Lily shook her head and dared to touch the spotted rodent in Noah's lap. "Did you know they purr?"

She laughed. "I do now."

Across the circle, Liam giggled at the guinea pig crawling and squirming in his arms and scratching at his T-shirt. "Dad, they tickle!"

"Do they?" his father smirked. "Hey, while you guys are taking turns holding them, why don't we pick names." He then pointed at the spotted one Lily was now holding, with a look in his eyes. "I vote we name that one Percy."

The kids all laughed and Calypso looked at him slightly confused. "Percy?"

"Yeah," he said with a dorky grin.

"You mean like _Uncle_ Percy?" Sophia asked with a laugh, reaching over Olivia to pet the Guinee pig in Liam's arms.

"The one and only..."

Then the connection came to her and she burst out laughing along with Olivia. "Oh my gosh, Dad! That is the _best!_ Don't you think he'll be insulted or something though?"

"Pft," he shooed. "He wouldn't mind, but uh... just in case, call him Fuzzball when Uncle Percy's around."

Again, the kids laughed while Calypso remained clueless.

"Hey, I have a name!" Milo cut in with his huge grin. Oh my gosh, the blue overalls he wore over top his yellow shirt were adorable! There was even a little truck printed on the front pocket.

"What's that?" Leo asked.

"The orange on can be called Carrots!"

"Carrots?" Olivia complained now taking the guinea pig from Liam. "I hate that. Why do you always have to come up with the stupid names? Why not call the spotted one Shadow or something."

"Shadow?" Sophia looked at her like she was thoroughly disgusted. "Really?"

"It's better than Carrots."

"How 'bout Pig!" Noah shouted out pointing at the orange and white creature. "That one's fat!"

"Pig is even worse than Carrots."

"Daddy, are they boys or girls? I don't want them to mate," Lily murmured with the hint that she was slightly traumatized by what Sophia had told them that one night about finding babies in their food.

"They're both boys," Leo answered. "Sorry, I know you wanted girls, but there was only one left."

"It's okay."

"Let's call them Squeaks and Mr. Muffin," Noah suggested.

"Mr. Muffin?" Sophia asked with an amused smile.

"Yeah. The spotted one looks like a chocolate chip muffin. He can be called Percy when Uncle Percy isn't around though."

"Deal!" his father pointed at him with a huge grin. "I love that!"

"Leo," good-old-practical Calypso butted in, her hand on her stomach once she sat on one of the couches. "Do you really think that's a good idea? I mean—"

He quickly shushed her. "Ah, you worry too much. Let them have fun. They picked the names."

" _You_ chose to call one Percy. Are you sure _you're_ not the one having fun?"

"Hey, we all are," and he took a seat beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

 _"_ _I'm not sure I can do this on my own..._ _"_

Piper froze with sudden confusion and she was somewhat freaked out. No one here said that statement. It sounded far away, echoing, like someone declared it from inside a long tunnel. It rang all around her in Leo's voice, yet Leo sat _here_ , in this scene, watching his children's excitement intently. He hadn't opened his mouth to say anything of the sort.

 _"_ _Stay here, okay? I'm going to check something..._ _"_ the same voice came back. It filled the room and overlapped the ongoing chatter about the new family pets.

 _"Dad, what's going on...?"_ a new voice echoed in mild panic. This one was female.

 _"_ _Go to your room, girls. Don't make me repeat it..._ _"_

 _"This isn't nothing, Dad..."_

Then, just as it did in her latest dream, the room began to flicker, showing the underlying midnight scene that had interrupted everything before. Since the new scene was in broad daylight, probably mid-day on a Saturday afternoon, it was proof that this hidden scene was in fact, part of another dream. Like last time, the voices of the children flickered as it did in the bedroom and a stronger image of the neighborhood came to be, making it seem like Piper was standing in two places at the same time. The street lights shone brighter, showing the reflections on the newly wet road that she hadn't been able to see before. It must've just rained. Houses lined the other side of the street, standing tall and impressive in size next to the random car parked on the driveways.

 _"It's big, Dad..."_ came a wavering voice. _"Too big! Too dark! Mom...!"_

Piper automatically understood what was going on now. This was the night Leo read his children bedtimes stories. Liam had refused to go to bed because it was too dark. The excuse that he couldn't button up his shirt was a way to delay while he cried. She never had the chance to finish this dream.

Through the blinking living room, the "camera", if you wanted to call it, spun around and zoomed up on one of the larger houses' doorsteps where Leo stood on the porch, breathing heavily with fear and apprehension. He studied the street, looking both right and left.

 _"_ _¿Están ellos aquí? ¿Está ocurriendo?_ (Are they here? Is it happening?) _"_ a girl echoed. _"Dad...?"_

 _"_ _Go to your room, girls. Don't make me repeat it..._ _"_

 _"Dad...?"_

 _"_ _I'm not sure I can do this on my own..._ _"_

 _ _"Dad, what's going on...?"__

Suddenly, everything seemed to speed up, almost as if someone hit the fast forward button. It made Piper dizzy to watch Leo walk further down the sidewalk at a fast pace and study the streets from his driveway. It was from there that it quickened even more to the point where she couldn't even make sense of anything happening anymore. It really didn't help to know that she was still stuck in the constantly flickering living room at the same moment. Her stomach felt queasy as she now found the midnight scene begin to spin around and around, faster and faster, until the underlying world was reduced to a solid dark color. Finally, though, as soon as she thought she might actually lose her lunch, everything returned to normal and she was standing back in the faint blue living room with the whole family.

It was so weird. Why did this keep happening? She was never able to finish the dream. Was she simply losing her mind? Could there be another reason? She had so many questions, but there was no one who could answer them. It was one huge mystery to her. Nothing made sense. Gods, why did everything have to be so confusing?

* * *

 **~Jason's POV~  
**

Three months. That's how long Jason had been at Camp Jupiter and he couldn't _wait_ to get back to Camp Half-Blood. A week previous from those three months, he'd promised Reyna in training a group of newcomers that had made a surprise arrival. She'd claimed they were in need of a professional swordsman or teacher or however she put it. When he got there, however, he realized that that had meant she was in need of help to get them all in order on top of that.

Imagine yourself standing in a room filled with puppies. They were cheerful, happy, and fun to be around. Then someone comes along and tells you that you have to train all of them on your own. Sure, you say. They seem eager enough to follow and looked up to you. However, once you start to bring out the rules, telling them what they can and can't do, it all goes to chaos. Some go here, some go there, some purposely ignore what you have to say, while others just don't ever seem to get it. This had been his life the whole time he was gone and it was agony. There were five of them. Matthew, Ben, Oscar, Julie, and Natalie. Matthew and Oscar seemed to show more respect, while Ben constantly pushed the limits. Julie and Natalie weren't so bad, but when put together, you couldn't expect them to accomplish much in a day. Now that Reyna found a way to keep them busy, she allowed Jason to get the heck out of there and take a breather, and what better place to do that than Camp Half-Blood? Besides, after hearing about Piper, he wanted to get down there as fast as he could.

Sitting in the back of the Greyhound bus, he stared out the window at the passing trees. He couldn't be more than half-an-hour away from his destination. The sky was clouding over, offering a promise of possible rain later in the day. The temperature seemed to have lowered too with the breeze. Jason found himself zipping up his sweater to preserve some of his body heat. Maybe today was a bad day to wear shorts and flip flops. Really, though, when was it ever a good idea to wear flip flops? He was a demigod. Halfway into a battle he'd lose his footwear. He could just imagine himself running through the battle field barefoot with a sword in hand, attempting to come across as an impressive warrior... At least he was smart enough to pack runners.

From the seats in front of him, Hazel's face peaked from the side to look at him. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail but random strands dangled around her face. "Hey, Jason?" she asked. "How long till we get there? I think Frank's asleep again."

Jason pressed his head against his seat's headrest and smirked. "We'll be there in around thirty minutes."

With a smile and a nod, her head disappeared back behind the seat.

Yup. Frank and Hazel were a surprise. After hearing that he was heading back to Long Island, the two of them decided last second to visit with him. They hadn't seen everyone in just about eight months. Reyna gave them permission (actually, Frank was also praetor so I guess he gave himself permission) and they took advantage of their pardon. It was hilarious how excited Hazel was to ride in a ginormous Greyhound. As soon as she laid her eyes on one, she grabbed Frank's hand and practically pulled him inside the station to get their tickets. After traveling for three days straight across the country though, the thrill died down. By now they were dying to just get there already.

He sighed and glanced out the window again.

Half-an-hour.

* * *

 **~Sophia's POV~  
**

"Sophia! Slow down!" Milo whined while nearly tripping over the many twigs scattered on the ground. His legs were tiny, as he was small for his age. Seeing how he wasn't going to go any faster, she stopped and picked him up, resting his weight on her hip as she speed-walked.

It was just the time of day where the woods were filled with those eerie shadows from the early morning sun, though she couldn't really say what time it really was. She and Milo had spent the night in the time machine (which had no windows), trying to come to a decision whether she should stick to her new plans. It was frustrating. Every time she thought she had made a solid decision, something jumped in front of her, forcing her to take a step back to ponder if this was really what she really wanted to do. If making decisions were always going to be like this in life, she was going to die young. The stress of this whole situation was taking its toll on her. Thankfully though, as hard as it was, she came to an answer and there was no backing out now. What she was about to do was for the better. If she didn't take up the opportunity, she knew she'd regret it later. How often did a person get to be in the same presence as a real-life time machine? Not many.

So now that she knew she wasn't going back home, she had to figure out what to say; to rehearse. First, however, Sophia had to make sure to present herself to Aunt Piper in a way that wouldn't freak her out so much, preferably without causing another seizure. This part would be a little tricky and unfortunately involved yet _another_ plan.

Okay, okay, okay, she thought to herself. Start off with what you already know how to do and work from there. Clearing her throat, she slowed her pace while she rehearsed. "Hi, Piper. Uh... I hope you're feeling better."

"Who are you talking to?" Milo asked while fingering the collar of her shirt.

"I'm rehearsing," she answered. "I hope you're feeling better. We were all worried there for a little while. Listen, I don't know if this is true, but I have reason to believe you already know me and my siblings. Is that true?"

"Yup!" he grinned. "You're my sister!"

Sophia rolled her eyes. "No, I wasn't talking to you! I was talking to... ugh! Never mind." Starting again, she took a fresh breath. "Piper, I don't want to come across as invasive or rude, but I heard you've been having dreams. If it's possible, do you think you could tell me about them?"

"I had a dream about a ninja last night! It jumped around a lot and hided in shadows like Uncle Nico and..."

Maybe she'll forget about rehearsing out loud and skip to figuring out a plan to present herself instead.

For ten more minutes, they trekked though the woods in order to finally catch sight of the camp. Little figures in the distance either played on the volleyball court on their right while others tackled dummies or climbed the firewall to the right of that. To the left were at least a half dozen Hermes campers dealing with the horse stables, the sneers on their faces displaying how much they hated dealing with the manure. Unlike the day before, everyone wore light jackets or sweatshirts and long pants. The breeze was cool enough to give Sophia goosebumps. She was wearing only a pair of army green shorts with a pink tank top under her grey sweatshirt while Milo still only had on his spacemen onesies. Not exactly the kind of clothing fit for a possible rainy day.

With a breath, she made an observation of who all the campers where to make sure none of them were Chiron or Dad. She wasn't ready to see them yet. Before anything, Aunt Piper was priority. Still though, she had no plan on facing her. The more she thought about it, however, to prepare her aunt better, the idea that she needed to be presented by someone else made most sense. She had already said she wasn't going to Chiron or Dad, so they were a no. Uncle Will was probably too busy to deal with and Uncle Nico was too distant. Sure he'd talked with them that first night, but it was more of a friendly thing to do than an _I want to get to know you_ kind of idea. It was sweet, but no. Uncle Percy and Aunt Annabeth hadn't really talked much with her or her siblings. Who else was there that she had talked to?

She suddenly smiled. Austin. For some reason, he'd seemed eager to talk to her and she was more than certain he'd have no problem helping her out. Besides, didn't _Papi_ say he'd heard him and Uncle Will discussing Aunt Piper's dreams yesterday? This was perfect! He at least knew something minuscule about this whole thing!

Setting her little brother down on his own feet, she pulled him along by the hand across the camp grounds and raced to the Infirmary.

* * *

 **~Piper's POV~  
**

Piper was getting sick and tired of her dreams.

Sitting up in bed, she ate away at a bowl of oatmeal, a cinnamon bun, and a glass of orange juice even though she wasn't hungry. Like all the other times, Will had to shake her awake from her continuous groaning and mumbling. Apparently it was a disturbance to the rest of the patients and her talking in her sleep annoyed the crap out of everyone. Seriously? It wasn't like she could help it. Gods. Couldn't people show a little compassion? Maybe if they were lucky enough to receive visions from the future, they'd see how hard it was to stay sane. Then they'd realize that the thrashing in her sleep and the moaning was nothing to complain about.

She didn't even know why she was still here in the first place though. Her headache had disappeared long ago and there wasn't any signs of her falling into a re-laps. She was in perfect health again. Course, that didn't stop the Apollo kids from worrying and from what she saw, Leo was almost even more so. He'd visited early this morning for his recommended twenty-minute time frame and throughout the entire time he was there, he looked at her like she was some kind of delicate china doll or something. She hated worrying him so much, but there honestly wasn't anything wrong with her except from her dreams. The seizure was just a fluke.

Actually, she thought. There was a pretty good chance it was because of his kids.

She dropped her cinnamon bun back onto her plate and swallowed heavily with sudden alarm. HOLY HADES! SHE TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT HIS KIDS! THEY WERE HERE! ACTUALLY _HERE!_ AT CAMP HALF-BLOOD! IN THE YEAR 2016 WHICH WAS 100% IMPOSSIBLE! _WHAT?!_

Pressing her fingertips to her temples, she tried to collect herself. She received a few odd glances from the campers around her, but she made no mind to them. Now was not the time to freak out. Once she was out of here, she'll make sure to search for Leo's kids and figure this whole thing out. It was all too crazy. Ha. She'll have stories to tell Jason when he gets here.

"Knock, knock," came a voice from her side. Piper took her hands away from her face and found Austin standing at her bedside. Just like the rest of the Apollo kids here in the Infirmary, he wore a doctors lab coat and a stethoscope hanging from his neck.

"Hi, Austin," she said with a friendly smile. "Is this another check up, cause I'll be honest with you. I feel perfectly fine. When can I get out of here?"

He laughed. "No, no. No check up. As for getting you out of here, we'll have to wait until tomorrow at least just to be sure."

She sighed with relief. Finally. "Great."

"The reason I'm here is to introduce someone to you. Truthfully I don't know why since the three of you have already met... sorta. Well, actually, maybe you didn't. Anyway, she says it's important for you guys to become familiar with each other. You up for visitors?"

Physically, she felt her heartbeat speed up and her head throb. Someone wanted to meet with her. Oh my gods. Ohmygodsohmygodsomygods! Were they who she thought they were? Dare she ask? She didn't ever remember meeting anyone other than Leo's future kids, _if_ she even met them. She had been half convincing herself that the night of her seizure wasn't real; that it was part of her dreams. Now, she wasn't so sure. It seemed so life-like. She remembered every detail before she blacked out and it freaked her out. If these surprise visitors were who she was thinking of, she guessed she wouldn't have to worry about hunting them down when she got out of here.

"Visitors?" she asked, hoping to sound easy-going and totally not freaking out. "Sure. I'm up to it." Not really.

"Great," Austin said with a thumbs up. "There's two of them. Just a sec. I'll go get them," and he turned and left for the back room.

That was weird. No one enters by the back. That part of the Infirmary was strictly for Apollo kids only. It was all adding up.

Not even a fully minute later, Piper saw Austin walk back into the main room where all the patients were. However, she noticed he was alone.

"Aren't they coming to see me?" she asked innocently.

Brushing his shaggy brown-blonde hair from his face, he motioned to the back room where he had come from. "I talked to them and she said it would be better if you went to them. She wants to talk in private. If you're not ready to get up yet though -"

"Austin, I'm more than ready!" she tried at a laugh. In her mind she was thinking _Holy Hades! It's really them!_ She wasn't sure whether she was excited or terrified. This was so abnormal. "I'll go to them. Where are they?"

"Just in the back room. Door on the right at the end of the hallway."

Thankful to finally stretch her legs, she threw her sheets back and brought her feet to the cold floor. Worst feeling ever. Must be cold outside. Leaving her friend behind to make rounds on the other campers, Piper rushed down the hallway he'd described was there and checked each open door for any sign of Leo's kids. By this time, she was sure she'd black out simply from the anticipation. This wasn't actually happening, was it? 'Kay. She was starting to believe she was actually more excited than nervous at this point. It was almost like she had known them her whole life without ever meeting them face to face. This was huge!

Stopping at the end of the hall, she found the closed wooden door on the right, the one Austin instructed her to. Her breathing was heavy and full of nerves and she actually had to take a moment to control herself to avoid passing out. She was so close to getting out of this stupid place and she didn't want to mess it up by blacking out.

Slowly, she reached out and grabbed the cold knob with a shaky hand, taking her time to digest even the idea of what was really happening.

 _You can do this, Piper,_ she told herself. _Just open the door._

Gathering enough courage, she turned the doorknob and pushed it open. The door squeaked. When it was wide enough to step into the room, Piper paused and took in her surroundings. This was the Quarantine/Emergency room where patients with serious illnesses or extra gruesome battle wounds were placed. Lucky them, they got to enjoy the silence of personal space and the quiet. To the right of the door, along the wall, was a cot with sheets spread over it neatly and ready for an emergency. A bedside table was beside that, and a desk was set in the corner. She didn't understand why it was there knowing how the patients were usually stuck in bed, but she guessed it didn't really matter. A window with long, blue, shaggy curtains hung down from a rod on the left wall, giving the room a blue hue. However, it wasn't the room itself that that stole her full attention. It was who was standing there in the center of the room patiently.

Sophia stood with the same startled expression Piper held, holding Milo's hand. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail and wore army green shorts, a coral pink tank top, and a grey sweatshirt. On her feet were a deep brown set of combat boots laced up only halfway as if she didn't have time to finish. As for the little Latino boy, Milo wore PJs for some reason, even though it was in the middle of the day.

All three of them listened to the silence filling the room with huge eyes, waiting for someone to say something. When that finally happened, it was Piper.

"Oh. My. Gods."

The Latino girl smiled sheepishly and offered her a small wave. "Hi, Aunt Piper. I believe we need talk."

* * *

 **~Leo's POV~**

Calypso sat across from Leo at one of the larger tables the forges had as he helped her put together mechanical parts for his latest contraption, the amazing tool cabinet. After one of it's whole drawers broke off (he wasn't about to point any fingers, but a special someone "tripped" on a tool on the ground, which was highly unrealistic. The forges at camp were cleaner than most), Calypso had offered to help him fix it. And, since they were the only people in the forges at the moment, he took the opportunity to enjoy this one on one time with his girlfriend. Luckily, not only did they have a chance to hang out at the beach last night, but today now also, which was great! Score #2 for the amazing McShizzle man! It was well overdue and at least this time they didn't have to worry about being caught by harpies or Chiron. They were free to do what they were.

"Okay, so now where does this go?" Calypso asked, grabbing the single screw from the tool-cluttered table (and yes, he will admit that the table was a mess. Big deal. They were dealing with machines). "Does it go in this space right here?"

Leo looked up from his work to observe what it was she was pointing to. "Uh, no. It goes right..." he grabbed the contraption from her and placed it in the proper hole almost completely opposite from where she had initially thought it went. "There. The part you were pointing to is where the whole thing clips on to the 'heart' of the machine. And, just to let you know, the next screw goes right beside the one I just put in."

He handed it back to his girlfriend who looked rather confused but still excepted it. "Okay. So, right here?"

"Yup," he smiled at her.

With a nod of the head, she continued her work and he continued his.

Not much talking was happening between the two of them, but such was expected in a situation like this. Once they were involved with things demanding their full attention and brainpower, conversations were placed on the back burner until they stopped for a break or something. Word of advice was said here or there, but never enough to go on about. This was the way he and Calypso worked, but he could assure you it wasn't awkward or boring. In fact, it was perfect. Even though they didn't say much, the mere presence of the other was a comfort and assurance that they were choosing to be there. With Calypso, Leo was always second guessing or doubting himself that she actually wanted to do any of this with him. After all, spending time in the forges wasn't exactly what a girl would call romantic, and even though he was no love expert, he would have to agree. However, as much as he doubted about bringing her here to work on machines, she proved time and time again that she was content to be here. Sometimes he honestly wondered how in the world he got so lucky to find a girl who actually _enjoyed_ learning about his interests and talents. Before she came into the picture, he had tried to convince Hazel to get involved but it never lasted more than an hour that one afternoon. Something told him it was more Frank than the actual mechanic work that made her stop though. Looking back, he kinda felt bad about that now.

 _Ah, the past was the past. You can't change it, so why linger on it?_ he told himself. It was one of his many rules he lived by and it actually kept him from some seriously dark decisions in his previous life.

"And this piece," Calypso mumbled. "It attaches to the coned part, right?"

With another glance at her work, he said, "You got it, but it goes on the side, not the tip. My part goes there."

"Okie-dokie," she confirmed and twisted her section of the machine onto the appropriate place.

" _Okie-dokie?_ " Leo smirked at her.

She looked up at him again in a suspicious way. "What?"

Placing his elbows on the table after placing his contraption down, he gave her a look. "Ms. Calypso-From-Another-World, did you just use a modern term for 'Okay'?"

She sat up straighter and continued to work on what was in front of her. "Maybe. So what? Can't I use modern terms?"

He thought a moment. "You know, I don't really know. I kinda like the idea of you staying in the dark."

"Excuse me?" she huffed. "Why's that?"

"Cause you have the cutest puzzled expression. If you knew about the majority of things in the modern world, when will I ever get to see you like that again?"

"When I look at you," she murmured.

His smirk fell and crossed his arms in a pout. "I complement you and you insult me. How is that fair?"

"You call _that_ a compliment?"

"Sure! Cute face vs insult?" he said, weighing both statements on each hand, his left hand dipping lower than the right. "Mmm, cute face is winning. Wonder who's the nicer person here...?"

"Shut up!" she laughed and threw a crumpled blueprint at him.

"See what I mean?!" he protested, swatting the ball away. "You could be written down as an evil ex-goddess!"

"Leo!" Calypso fake pouted. "Stop it!"

"Beware the wrath of the evil sorceress, Calypso!" he said in a deep and menacing voice. "She may throw paper balls at you!"

Just as she was about to throw something else at him, Leo noticed someone running up to the forges from the corner of his eye. Ignoring another crumpled blueprint that hit him in the chest, he turned to find Austin, sprinting in his doctor's coat, and gasping for breath as he neared then entryway. Man, he must've ran all the way from the Infirmary to be that exhausted. That or he was incredibly out of shape.

"L-Leo!" Austin panted while leaning forward in order to rest his hands on his thighs. "Piper wants you to see her in the Infirmary for something. S-Says it's important."

Leo's expression changed from a light mood, to a concerned frown. "Why? Is she okay? Something happen?"

"No, no," he assured him, but he still didn't trust him fully. "She has a couple people she wants you to meet. Oh, and while you're out here, grab Olivia and Liam with you, 'kay?"

With a glance at Calypso, he shrugged and hopped off his stool. "Sure. Okay. Are you sure it's nothing to worry about though?"

The look Austin gave him was one that implied he was stupid. "Valdez, I'm the son of Apollo. I think I would know if it was something to do with physical health."

"Touché," he replied. "Calypso, you alright with finishing up, or would you prefer if I was there to help you out?"

"I can manage what I have left. I can always finish the rest once you're free again," she suggested with a patient smile.

"Thanks," he said and ran off in search of Liam and Olivia once again.

* * *

It was easy to find the two siblings this time and Leo was soon walking up to the Infirmary doorsteps, Liam and Olivia close behind. Olivia was mumbling something to her younger brother in hushed tones, but every once in a while Leo would make out a word or two. They were talking in Spanish to each other which continued to make him feel suspicious of them. Were they talking about plans to attack the camp? To send out secret messages to monsters or anti-demigod beasts? It sounded pathetically cheesy and unrealistic, but life as a demigod could get hella weird in a hurry. It never hurt to be too careful for those things, especially when they knew it's happened before. Wasn't Silena Beauregard a spy? Luke Castellan was another biggy.

Leo climbed up the couple stairs up onto the Infirmary porch and entered the building like so many times in the last forty-eight hours since Piper was brought here. Again, the two sibling followed.

Inside was the familiar sight of injured and ill campers, a mixture of conscious kids eating breakfast, sleeping, or talking with the random Apollo camper. Even for the early hours of the morning, this place was bustling with commotion - and to think it stayed like this until the end of the day, every day. Leo was silently thankful he was the son of Hephaestus. Not that there was anything wrong with being the child of Apollo, but he would rather be around machines all day than sick patients, which made the mood rather depressing in his eyes. Definitely not his dream job.

Looking over to where Piper's cot was, Leo found it empty with the covers pushed back and a half-eaten tray of food placed on the bed, getting cold. Maybe she was in the bathroom or something. He could wait.

"She's not here," Olivia stated.

"Probably in the bathroom," he offered.

At that moment, Will walked up to the three of them with a friendly smile, the usual doctors lab coat wrapped around him. In his hand was a clipboard and there was a pen tucked behind his ear, drowning in his thick, blonde curls. "Morning, Leo."

"Sup, Dr. Will?" he replied with a smirk. "So, is it just me, or did my friend disappear?"

The confusion on Will's face made Leo laugh. "What?"

"Piper," Leo explained. "Did she finally escape this place or what?"

He shook his head with a small grin. "No, she's in the Quarantine room at them moment."

"Quarantine?" he asked with that familiar concern.

"She's perfectly healthy, Valdez, don't worry. She's simply talking to something there in private. You can go right in."

"Oh," Leo breathed with relief. "Thanks."

While Olivia and Liam started towards the back hallway, Leo marched over to Piper's cot and grabbed her unfinished cinnamon bun and took a bite. They all looked at him like he had just openly admitted in a loud voice that he was the most annoying person in the world (he prided himself in that). Naturally, that meant they looked at him with confusion.

"What?" he asked through a mouthful of cinnamon bun. "It was going to waste."

"She still could have wanted that," Olivia pointed out.

He simply shrugged. "Never should've left it behind then," he said in a muffled voice and began leading the way to the Quarantine room. From behind him, he heard the two giggling and he smiled. Despite his issues with them, he was glad they laughed when he was around. With his friends, he usually received a few eye-rolls here and there. So unappreciative.

Eventually, they made it to the end of the hallway where he noticed two doors. The one on the left led outside, while the other was none other than the Quarantine room. Both doors were closed. Knocking on the door, Leo, Olivia, and Liam all waited for an answer from Piper. None of them were sure who it was they were expected to meet, but the trouble to get here was enough work to seem important.

Finally, after the longest two seconds of his life, the door swung open and he was faced with his best friend, Piper McLean, looking almost flustered.

"Leo! O-Olivia? Liam?" she grinned at the three demigods standing in the doorway. Nervousness hid behind her friendly face. "Come in."

"I'm obliged to do so," and Leo and the rest stepped past her. "So, who exactly are we supposed to meet, and what's going on? I feel those are fair enough questions."

" _¡Papi!_ " a little voice came from the side and a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around his leg once again. Leo groaned, but his annoyance was soon replaced by puzzlement. He looked down at the child hugging him and saw no other than the four-year-old Milo staring back at him with big brown eyes and a wide smile.

"Milo?" he asked with shock. "I thought..." He looked to his left and found Sophia as well, standing in the corner looking guilty. "Sophia? I thought you guys left?"

"Sophia?" Olivia echoed behind him, the same alarm he had shown. "Yeah! I thought you and Milo went home!"

Liam clapped his hands and gave his oldest sister a hug. "I missed you. Don't ever leave again."

"Liam," she murmured. "I was only gone one night."

He blushed and backed away.

"So, care to explain?" Leo cut in, taking another bite of Piper's cinnamon bun.

"Right," Piper uttered, taking in a deep breath. She looked exhausted, like she didn't get much sleep last night. He was tempted to ask her if she was feeling well enough to go on with such a formal meeting like this, but he decided against it. Piper hated feeling weak and pathetic. Him asking her would only make her feel bad for causing worry and also the annoyance of him bringing the subject up.

Piper was silent a moment too long for comfort. Just like everyone could with Annabeth, he could almost see the gears working in that head of hers. Finally though, she spoke. "Leo, do you remember the day I asked you about my dream?"

"You're dream?"

"Yeah. You were designing your tool cabinet and we played Twenty-Questions. It ended with me telling you my dream."

"Sure," he nodded, the memory coming back to him. He found that afternoon highly odd. "I don't think I could entirely forget that moment even if I wanted to."

Her cheeks burned red. "Sorry about that. I went about it the wrong way. Anyway, I've been having the same kind of dreams ever since. You know, the ones about you and your future family."

Okay, that was enough to creep him out again. "Aaaaaaand..."

"And, so, I think you need to here me out and listen carefully. To be honest, _I_ don't even fully understand what this is all about, but what I do know, is that my dreams - though they feel completely random and irrelevant - have become to make sense. Sophia, Olivia, Liam, and Milo can all back me up on this. Really, all I'm asking of you, once I finish telling you everything, is that you stay calm and avoid having a seizure like I was unfortunate to have. Okay?"

This sounded serious. "O-okay..." Leo dared to agree.

She smiled nervously and glanced at Sophia and Olivia, their faces mirroring her own. "Great. You might want to take a seat for this."

* * *

 **FINALLY! LEO'S BEING BROUGHT INTO THE LIGHT! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW BADLY I WANTED TO WRITE THIS FOR YOU! :O I'm definitely going to have a blast writing the next chapter! ;D Am I satisfying you peoples out there? You hanging on?**

 **Sorry for the late update. Life. That's all I got to say.**

 **AGAIN: I have my very first _poll question_ on my _profile page_ and I will be _extremely happy_ if you take time to _vote!_ Also _please review and share your thoughts_ on my story! I'd love to hear from you!**

 **Chapter eleven will be here in the (hopefully) near future!**

 **~supworld~**


	11. Chapter 11

**So I see I already have a few votes on my poll question! Yay! This makes me so incredibly happy! XD Thank you random people! You got the ball rolling! For those of you who haven't yet checked my poll question out, I would love it if you would! _Please vote!_ And, while you're at it, it would be great if you _reviewed my story_ too! :D**

 **To** goldenlynx16: **I know right?! Even though I _am_ the author for this story, I can't wait to see how it will turn out! I like working on the fly like that. But, yeah! This will be a fun chapter to read I hope!  
**

 **Sorry it took so long. I wanted to update right after the last chapter but I accidentally exited out of this chapter in the middle of working on it without saving. I had to rewrite it. X'(**

 **Now! Let's see what happens in this next chapter! Will Leo believe Piper? Will Sophia and Olivia tell them the real reason why they're there? Find out! YAY! XD**

 **Sorry for any incorrect grammar, misspelled words, wrong Spanish terms, and/or other.**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
I cry because I don't own the Seven. I own the kids.  
**

* * *

 **~Leo's POV~**

Leo sat patiently on the empty cot, feeling rather uncomfortable knowing he was the only one in the room sitting other than Liam and Milo. The two of them sat in the corner with a bunch of empty pill bottles Piper gave them to play with so they could us them as stacking blocks. They used them to their full potential.

Staring up at the five of them, who were staring back at him (not awkward at all, by the way...), he waited for his friend's explanation. "So," he murmured. "What's going on?"

Piper took another breath to calm herself. Honestly, if she kept doing that, Leo expected her to inflate like a balloon. He almost laughed out loud at the picture that left in his mind.

"So you already know that my dreams are about your future family. I've had them for a few nights already to the point where they feel almost normal. Creepy, I know, but I can't exactly help it. I talked to Katie, Ben, Will, Austin, Chiron, and Rachel about them because I'm still partially convinced they're some sort of prophecy... or something around that kind of thing."

Leo huffed with annoyance. "Great. You just had to go and ruin my whole day. This time, I vote we _don't_ go on another quest."

"Slow down, repair boy," she cut in. "What I'm trying to tell you is that none of my dreams feel like the kind that involve another 'doomsday-end-of-the-world' plan from the Giants or Titans or anything like that."

"Good."

"However, I have come to realize how important these dreams have become to an extent I've never even imagined possible. Now, I'm going to drop a bombshell on you but I'm begging you to keep calm and not to freak out."

His eyes narrowed with confusion. "Ooooookay?"

Piper shifted her weight on each foot with anticipation for his reaction. The others behind her looked just as nervous and that caused Leo to become nervous too. Whatever it was they were trying to tell him was obviously a big deal.

"The reason I had that seizure," she started slowly, "was partially caused by Sophia, Olivia, Liam, and Milo."

Leo's brows furrowed with worry. "What do you mean? They didn't do anything. Sophia, what is she talking about?"

"Just listen," Sophia whispered guiltily, tucking her hands in her sweater pockets.

Piper continued. "They didn't really do anything. Not to me, anyway."

"But... they _did_ do something," Leo uttered, the suspicion of these new kids lingering, reminding him of the words Sophia had said to him before she left: _I just can't stay here. It's too dangerous._ He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel anymore. "What did they do?"

"I'll get to that later," she told him. "The reason I had my seizure was because I recognized them from my dreams."

He shrugged. "So? Demigods meet people in their dreams all the time. That's how I met my dad."

She shook her head. "No. That's different. My dreams are of the future, remember? Most demigods can only see things in the present or past. As I said before, I talked about my dreams with multiple people already, even some Apollo campers - Rachel too - but none of them can understand it. Obviously, these visions are different than anyone has ever heard of before. Then I saw Sophia and her siblings that night and I guess I was just so overwhelmed with what I saw, I broke down."

"Does Will know why you passed out?" Leo wasn't familiar with doctoring, but he was pretty sure telling a doctor the reason you had a seizure would be important information to give him or her.

"Not yet. I don't feel ready to do that. I'll make sure I do though; eventually."

"Okay. Then go on," he said, motioning for her to continue.

She muttered something back at the others with an expression he couldn't quite describe. The two girls behind her nodded and she turned back to him, a mask of seriousness on her face. "The fact is, Sophia, Olivia, Liam, and Milo are all part of your future life."

Leo straightened a bit and glanced over his friend's shoulder at the four of them. "Really? How far in? How do we know each other? Are they fellow children of Hephaestus, cause that would be wicked cool."

Piper didn't laugh or smile or even blink. She simply stood there with her arms crossed and stared at him in a non-joking manner. "Leo... they're your future kids."

It was like time froze. No one said anything, no one moved, he couldn't even hear anyone breathe. He could've sworn Kronos himself rose from the dark pit and slowed time as soon as everyone in the room decided to stare at him, making him feel more uncomfortable and self-conscious than he's probably ever felt in his life. Despite that though, he suddenly felt a laugh bubble up inside his chest and let it out with a loud hoot.

"Y-you mean to tell me, that... t-that three teenagers and a four-year-old child are my _kids?!_ " he snorted, slapping his hand on his lap. "Man, you really hit your head! Ha! Good one! And here I though your dreams were real! You even got Will and Austin in on it! Priceless!" he laughed, gasping for air. "You know, you, the Stoll brothers, and I should go into business together! That was great! I gotta tell this one to them! They'll enjoy it!"

"Leo, I'm not joking. I'm serious. They're your kids."

"Yeah, sure!" he hooted. "Like a fourteen and thirteen-year-old can be the children of a _sixteen_ - _year_ - _old!_ Pipes, I'm only two years older than Sophia! I'm not even _married_ yet! Technically, I'm not even out of school! My kids...? Ha! My foot! Who knew a child of Aphrodite had a sense of humor?!"

For some reason, this seemed to anger Piper and her hands were brought to her hips. "Leo Valdez, I haven't been tormented each night with strange dreams just so you could get a laugh out of it! I know what I'm saying is crazy, but it's true!"

His smile faded a little when he saw Sophia step up. "Please. You have to believe us. Before you got here, Aunt Piper and I - "

"Aunt Piper?!" Leo exclaimed.

She huffed with uneasiness and ignored his comment. "Just let me finish. The both of us compared notes on this whole dreaming of the future and I have to say, from what it sounds like, it matches up perfectly to what our family life really is like. I remember every moment she described. Yes, it does freak me out a little too, but you have to believe us. Her visions are true and we _are_ your children."

Leo chuckled, though this time it lacked the humor and was replaced by unease. "You know what I think?" he asked pointing at each of them. "I think you all lost your minds. Like, come on! You're trying to tell me you're _my kids?_ "

"Maybe this will convince you then," Olivia cut in, standing confidently with her neon yellow windbreaker and skinny jeans. "Milo keeps calling you Dad, and Liam slipped up and did the same thing that first day. Another thing: have you ever wondered why we look so much like you? We have the same dark, curly, unruly hair, the same brown eyes, same skin tone, Sophia and Milo have the same pointed ears, and I have the same pointed nose. We all speak Spanish fluently and are naturally shorter than others our ages. Not only that, but Liam and I can summon fire, something no one on earth should be able to do except for you. Sophia and Milo have your talent with tools too. We all have something in common with you. Also, I'll mention the constant dreams Aunt Piper seems to be having. She says she has dreams of your future and recognized us from them, even to he point of calling out our names without us introducing ourselves to her. How much proof do you need?"

He stared at her, not knowing what to say. All he could do was sit unmoving and process what this stranger had just said. When he thought about it though, it was all starting to make sense. Everything was clicking together, like he finally realized that he had been staring at a huge puzzle that has _literally_ been standing right in front of him, and it was only now that he started to assemble it. He _did_ wonder how they had so many things in common with him. He'd simply assumed, though, that they were fellow children of Hephaestus. After the night of the campfire when Sophia and him had had that talk just between the two of them, he recalled her listing the talents and powers she and her siblings had and Hephaestus being their father only made sense. And the amount of kids... it made sense that they were Leo's too, because a god or goddess _never_ had more than two kids with a mortal at a time. Two was pushing it. Here, there were four and they all looked like him (except for Liam. Leo couldn't place a finger on who he looked like, but it was someone he knew). Then there was Piper's dreams. They fit perfectly with the situation. Every single one was about his future family apparently, and if he wasn't mistaken, when she rattled off to him about them the first time when he was in the forges creating his tool cabinet, he could've sworn he heard Sophia and Olivia's names in there somewhere.

Oh my _gods!_ It was true! It was all true! Piper hadn't been joking after all!

Leo grabbed at his hair with huge eyes and stared at his four future kids. "O-oh my gods! Oh my _g-gods!_ " he stuttered. "No frickin' way! Oh, _hell_ no! What?! No! This isn't real! You guys are just some random demigods that came to camp! No! This... This isn't normal!" He stood up and started pacing the room, his hands still gripping his hair. "Oh my gods! This is a dream! Gods!" Turning to Piper, he grabbed hold of her shoulders and stared at her directly in her eyes. "Piper! Piper, please tell me I'm dreaming! This is seriously freaking me out right now! They cant' be my future kids! Tell me! Say they aren't my kids! SAY IT!"

"I-I can't, Leo! They really are!" she protested.

He dropped his forehead onto her shoulder and shut his eyes tight, trying hard to concentrate on breathing to keep from passing out. Now he knew how Piper felt when she first saw these kids. It was almost too much to handle. No wonder she'd had a seizure. Leo was starting to think he'd have one himself.

Lifting his head, he stared at "his future kids" one at a time. They stared back. "This isn't real... Tell me it isn't real and I'm just dreaming and I'll wake up soon and you guys will think I've gone crazy when in all reality I've been having my own dreams just like Piper. Tell me I'm going crazy. I'm begging you. I'm going crazy. I'm hallucinating. None of you are real."

Sophia dared to take a step forward. "Dad, please calm down and we'll get this all figured out -"

"DAD?!" Leo exclaimed and backed away from them. "No! I'm not your dad! I don't even know who the hell you are! The reason you look so much like me is probably because you guys are all distant cousins or something, but I'm _not_ your dad! I'm _sixteen_ for Zeus's sake! It's not even possible!"

"I know it's not, but if you calm down, we can explain everything."

"No! This is a trick! You guys are pulling a joke on me! Well, I'll tell you something: It's not funny! You're messed up! Stay away from me!" and he backed up even more, only to trip on the edge of the cot and fell onto it. Still, he pressed himself against the wall like a cornered rabbit tucking his legs up to his chest. "Leave me alone! This is messed up!"

" _Papá, por favor!_ (Dad, please!)" Sophia begged, tears welling in her eyes. " _Por favor cree en nosotros._ _Somos tus hijos_ (Please believe us. We're your kids.)"

" _¡No!_ _¡Estás mintiendo!_ (No! You're lying!)"

" _¡No eran! Por favor, papá! ¡Te amamos!_ (We're not! Please, Dad! We love you!)"

He glanced at Piper with a face that cried HELP! but she just stood there with a sympathetic frown.

"Piper, you're my best friend," he uttered shakily, trying a new calming approach. "I'm asking you one more time: Is this real? Are they who they say they are?"

This time, she offered him a small smile, though it revealed her true concern for him. "Yes, Leo. They are."

"Oh gods..." he groaned and hid his face in his hands. "Oh. My. Gods."

From the silence that followed, he sat there in the same position for a few minutes trying hard to wrap his mind around it all. This couldn't be real. Had he really met his future kids? Were they actually blood-related to him? He took his hands away from his face finally, and took a breath. "So... it's true. How? H-how is this even possible? What's going on?"

Piper's mouth opened, ready to reply, but Sophia stopped her by placing her hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. We'll take it from here." Piper nodded and took a seat on the desk chair. "Remember when you first met us?"

He groaned again, resting his head in his hand, his elbow pressed on his knee. "Thank you so much, Sophia, for bringing that up. Yes, I remember it too well."

"Oh, well..." she fiddled with her sweater zipper. "I know you couldn't really see how we got there, but Uncle Percy witnessed us walk out from that big machine you two found."

"Machine..." he muttered an idea suddenly popping in his head at the mere mention of it. He'd almost completely forgotten about the machine he found in the forest. Could his theory work?

"Yeah, that big sparking machine," she confirmed.

" _Machine_ ," he repeated, a look forming on his face. He knew it was impossible, but then again, this whole situation was impossible. There honestly couldn't be any worse harm done at this point and he had a feeling this thing they were talking about played a huge part in why they were here. "When we were talking to Chiron the night you got here, you said it as a transportation devise, but you were holding something back, am I right? It's more than that. It can do a heck of a lot more than just move you around, doesn't it? What is it? What exactly does it do?"

Sophia broke out into a small smile. "It's a time machine," she uttered.

Leo's eyes grew large and he jumped to his feet. "I KNEW IT! A TIME MA -"

Olivia quickly slapped her hand to his mouth and the rest of the sentence was muffled and hard to hear. He stared at her with alarm at the sudden movement.

"Don't say it so loud," Olivia hissed. "The others don't know yet. You're the only one. Now, I'm going to take my hand away and I better not hear you yelling anymore. Okay?"

He nodded, which felt weird with someone pressing their palm to his face. It was slowly taken off though and he finished his sentence in a quieter tone. "A time machine?! Are you frickin' kidding me?! I mean, don't get me wrong, this is still freaking me out more than you can possibly even imagine, but seriously?! _A time machine?!_ I gotta go check that baby out! What was it like getting here? How much power does it use? What's it run on? Is it futuristic? When it's parked, does it levitate? How many people can sit inside? How many time machines are there in the future? Can I ride in it? _Please?!_ I'll do anything! Just one trip to the future and that's it! Pretty please with a cherry on top?!"

By this time, both Olivia and Sophia were laughing at him with amusement at his many questions. He didn't know why? They were honest questions and he wanted to learn about this thing. Come on! _It was a time machine!_ Who wouldn't want to learn about it?

"What?" he asked. "What's so funny?"

Sophia crossed her arms and studied him with a smile that hid an expression he couldn't quite interpret. "Nothing really. It's just great to see you so excited about machines. It's been a while."

"Wait, a minute," Leo interrupted. "What do you mean _it's been a while_? Are you saying I quit working with machines in the future?"

This peaked Piper's interest but it also caused Sophia and Olivia's faces to become dark. Their smiles fell.

"N-no," Olivia stuttered, the uneasiness thick in her voice. "No, it's not that. You'd never stop working on them. It's your passion. We always see you fiddling with something around the house, even when there's nothing to fix..." Now _she_ was starting to tear up. What was up with these two? It seemed like they were always so emotional.

Leo dared to ask another question. "Then... why do you say it's been a while if you see me fixing things every day?"

At this, she didn't seem to have an answer; well, at least one that she was willing to share. All she did was look at her sister and they stared like they were having a conversation with their eyes for several seconds. Finally though, Sophia obviously winning, she turned back and shook her head. "It's nothing. Never mind."

That was weird. Everything about this was weird.

From the edge of their little circle, Piper came back into the picture, nearly scaring Leo enough to jump. He'd forgotten she was sitting on the chair listening to the whole thing. "Okay, so now I have a question," she voiced. "Why in the world are you here? There has to be reason you guys decided to visit the past. It's too risky for a simple _what was it like back then_ visit."

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "I would like to know that too."

Again, the girls turned to one another and discussed whatever it was they were agreeing on via eye contact. This time, Sophia faced them, a determined look in her eyes. "To train."

Leo and Piper looked at each other in confusion. "To train?" Piper asked. "What for? Why can't you train in your own modern time?"

"Because..." she hesitated. "We just can't do it anywhere else than here. Livy and I usually come to Camp Half-Blood in the summer to train and hang out with other demigods, but... I don't think we'll be able to go there for a while now. Something came up."

The way she said that... It didn't sound good. "Couldn't you just practice in an abandoned field or something?" Leo asked with honest curiosity. "I mean, why travel to the past just to train?"

"No, it has to be here," Sophia insisted. "There are reasons we chose this time period to do just that. Believe me. We know what we're doing... sorta."

"Then why did you leave?" Leo questioned. "You said you couldn't stay, so you just left!"

Olivia crossed her arms in a huff and glared at her sister. "I'll let you tell this one."

Leo could visibly see how cornered she felt. Her whole frame shrunk with guilt from the numerous eyes staring at her. She even backed up a bit.

"Look, I know what I did was wrong - pathetic even - but I freaked out, okay? I know how dangerous time travel is and I panicked. After seeing Aunt Piper fall to the ground in shock, I felt a wave of dread and guilt and I just knew it was my fault. We don't have any right to be here. I didn't want to mess anything else up, so I begged Olivia to agree with leaving with me and the boys, but she refused. That's when I decided to grab Milo and head out on my own.

"You see, Milo was never meant to come. He managed to sneak on the time machine without any of us knowing. With that said, I wanted to get him home so Mom wouldn't worry so much. It was last second that I remembered the discussion you and I had about Aunt Piper's dreams. I realized that there might have been more to her seizure than we originally thought. Also, I, uh, felt bad for chickening out the way I did."

She turned to Olivia with a faint smile. "I'm sorry for leaving you like that. It wasn't fair to push that kind of responsibility on you so last second. I'm the oldest. I should've known better."

Olivia hugged her tightly. "Just because you're the oldest, doesn't mean you have to carry the whole burden. As second oldest, half of that burden belongs to me."

Sophia smiled wider, her arms wrapped tightly against her sister's bright jacket. "Thanks."

Leo coughed into his hand after a full five seconds of them hugging, hoping to break the awkward silence he and Piper experienced. It was a touching moment and all, two sisters sharing the love, but he didn't exactly feel like standing on the sidelines watching them. That was more of an Aphrodite thing to do. He was sure Piper was enjoying it, judging by the look on her face.

Once the girls heard him cough, they let go of each other and grinned awkwardly at the two demigods standing there.

"Another question for you guys," Leo started. "You said you needed to train - here specifically - so okay. But what exactly are you needing to train for?"

Sophia shook her head. "I don't think we're ready to talk about that quite yet. First, we want to get back into shape. Then we'll get into more detail."

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Will popped his head in. He smiled at them. "Uh, sorry to interrupt your little meeting, but Jason's here and he brought a special surprise for both Leo and Piper."

At that, both Leo and Piper grinned wildly at each other.

"Jason's here!" she said with excitement and ran out the door like she didn't even remember the others were in the room.

" _¡Tío Jason!_ (Uncle Jason!)" Milo squealed with mirrored enthusiasm and jumped up to dash out the door in the same manner. Olivia, however grabbed onto him before he could escape.

"Wait for us, okay?" she laughed.

Even though he was still creeped out knowing these were his kids, Leo couldn't help but laugh at the little guy. He was adorable. "Come on," Leo smirked. "Let's go see him. Apparently he has a surprise."

* * *

Leo, Sophia, Olivia, Liam, and Milo all headed towards the Big House with excitement to see Jason (guess it would be _Uncle_ Jason for Leo's future kids though. Gods! That was so weird!). While they walked, Milo had _insisted_ on holding Leo's hand while he skipped around in his PJs by his side. His hand was cold from the cool breeze, making Leo wonder if the little guy was starting to freeze without so much as a jacket or shoes. The kid was going to get sick if he wasn't careful.

Even though it was a small act, Leo let his hand heat up without catching fire, just enough to warm the little guy's hand. Milo seemed to appreciate it by the way he held on tighter and grinned up at him. Leo half-smiled back at him with a hint of his lingering discomfort, his lips pressed together.

Looking back into his past life - something he never usually did - Leo admitted how much he missed being around little kids. It had been, what? Three years since he's been near anybody other than Harley? His very last foster home was where he had last contact with anyone of the sort. Her name was Emily Frankfurt and she had been five years old. There were two others asides from him and little Emily, but they were old enough that they didn't want to stick around and play any childish games with their little sister. He had been thankful for that in a way. That had meant he was given some one on one time with her. She was normally shy and kept to herself, but she and Leo hit it off and were pretty close. Unfortunately though, like always, things happened and he was seen as too much trouble. So, he was sent to the Wilderness School. He never saw Emily or the other kids again.

"There they are!" Olivia declared, pulling Leo out from his daydream. He followed where her finger pointed to see Piper and Jason embracing and sharing a few kisses just outside the Big House. And, if he wasn't mistaken, he saw two others along with them standing off to the side. One was tall and of a larger build while the second was short with darker skin. Piper reached out and hugged each of them after she was done with Jason with equal excitement.

Leo smiled from ear to ear. "Hey! It's Frank and Hazel! They came too!"

The two oldest girls grinned even wider before they grabbed Liam's hand and broke into a run towards the surprise guests. Leo and Milo chased after them.

"Jason! Frank! Hazel!" Leo shouted when they were within shouting distance. "You guys actually made it!"

"Leo!" Jason grinned widely and wrapped him in a bro hug. Patting him on the back, he asked, "How're you doing?"

"Still living in the awesome, but you know; can't be awesome all the time. Turns people off." He turned to embrace Hazel. "And you two! How are you and Frank here right now?"

"Reyna gave us a free pass I guess you could say," she said, her voice muffled in Leo's shoulder. Then she let go so Frank and Leo could give each other a friendly hug, though the size difference between them made it awkward.

From his side, Milo squealed with delight and all eyes turned towards the new kids.

"Aww!" Hazel cooed bending down to get a better look at the little guy. "And who are you? You're adorable! Frank, look how cute he is!"

Sophia took the lead at this point before Milo had the chance to shout out any unwanted statements. "Hi. I'm Sophia, and these are my siblings, Olivia, Liam, and Milo. We got here two days ago."

Jason, Frank, and Hazel all shook their hands or waved from where they were.

The conversation went on, but half-way into it, Leo zoned out. Watching his future kids talking with his friends should've felt odd. It didn't though. He guessed a part of him just couldn't take in the fact that these were actual people he was related to, if not yet. His brain wasn't processing the connection between them fast enough even though he had been told and even given proof that he was their future father. It was like he _knew_ , but he didn't want to believe. Therefore, the discomfort was standing out more than the initial shock of it all. Was this a normal reaction? Or was this simply a different kind of shock? Whatever it was, he was sure his brain would catch up eventually, possibly tonight when everything settle down, and he would start freaking out all over again.

Standing on the sidelines, he studied each of them like artifacts he wasn't worthy of being in the same presence as. Apparently someone said something funny in the group (it wasn't him this time. Sad, isn't it?), and they all burst out laughing. Sophia threw her head back with a wide, familiar grin he had seen that night at the campfire.

Now he knew why Sophia looked so much like his mom. She had his genes, meaning, she had Leo's mom's smile. It made him happy to know that there was at least a bit of his mother there. In a way, it brought her back to life, just in those short moments when Sophia laughed. And Olivia, too, had bits of his mother in her, though for her, it was in her eyes. Every time she looked his way, he would feel a comforting wave wash over him when their eyes met. They showed his mother's kindness.

Then there were the boys. Milo looked a _lot_ like him (which freaked him out), however, Liam was completely different. Leo wasn't sure who he shared his looks from and it was driving him crazy! The person he looked like was someone he knew. He was certain of it. What was really starting to freak him out though - well, maybe not freak him out, but rather baffle him - was that whoever this child looked like was the mother, aka, his future wife. Gods, this was weird.

Another thing: Leo knew he was going to have to tell the rest of his friends about everything sooner or later. They would probably appreciate getting an inside scoop on what was happening, especially Percy and Annabeth. Not today though. Right, now, he wanted to pretend nothing abnormal occurred and go on with the day.

So, for the rest of the day, the nine of them hung out, trained together, ate, and lived a regular day at camp. What better could you ask for?

* * *

 **Leo found out! He knows now! Isn't that fantastic? Make sure to review and let me know what you thought of it. I would love to hear from you. Also I would love if you voted. I'll probably only have my poll question up for a little while longer, so if you want to vote, sooner would probably be better than later. :) Again, thank you so much if you already have! I love getting feedback!  
**

 **Thanks for reading this far into the story, guys! Yudabest! ^_^ And there's still a bunch more to go! The adventurous part isn't even here yet, but I hope to get to that part soon! Again, this is just the beginning!**

 **TTYL in story form or PM if you message me that way.**

 **On to chapter twelve!**

 **~supworld~**


	12. Chapter 12

**The polls have been taken down. It was a three-way tie for Sophia, Olivia, and Milo! Thank you for taking the time to vote! :)**

 **Before you come into this chapter, I'll let you guys know I've started a new story! It's the one I suggested making before called: _A Light in the Dark_. Check it out if you can! ;D It's another PJO story, naturally...**

 **Of course, because I'm in the middle of two stories, that means updates might take a bit longer than they already do (hence the reason it took me so long to update this one). There will most likely be a longer space in between each post. Sorry. I say sorry a lot. Does this mean I'm a true Canadian? :I *blushing*** **Seriously though, I'm gonna just stop saying that. I have a life other than this so I have a right to keep you guys waiting for longer periods of time. You're welcome! XD**

 **To** aphrodite-spawn: **I'm so glad you are enjoying my story! And yes, I do realize the Stolls are not twins. I remembered this after I published the chapter but was too lazy to edit it afterward. One day maybe... XD Anyway, I love hearing feedback. :) I'll definitely keep your comment in mind. Mostly, the reason I did that was because for whatever reason, I had it in my head that it had to be 4,000 words or more and I would fill the chapter in that way. I was always worried about that and now I'm more aware. Thanks! :D**

 **This is a VERY short filler chapter guys, but it doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. :) I will apologize ahead of time for how quick the ending may seem. Writer's block...  
**

 **Sorry for any mistakes. This includes Spanish terms. Blah, blah, blah... -_-**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
No one but the kids belong to me. If I owned the Seven, I'd die happy.  
**

* * *

 **~Piper's POV~**

In Piper's dream, she was brought to a scene where Leo and his seven-year-old daughter, Lily, were strolling around on the busy streets of Maine. It was hot, crowded, and the prefect time to enjoy the weekend. At least she believed it was a weekend. Otherwise, Leo would most likely be working in his machine shop with one of the kids again.

As they walked down the sidewalks, window shopping for the expensive odds and ends, Lily sat on her father's shoulders with her hands holding onto his forehead.

For the first time, Piper noticed she wasn't wearing a dress like all the other times. This time, the little girl was wearing simple jeans and a pink shirt with Hello Kitty surrounded with white and blue flowers on the front. The fact that she was wearing something with flowers again made it obvious that it was clearly her thing. Piper never saw her without them printed somewhere on her clothing. That and her hair was always pulled back with the usual headband with the bow on the side, leaving the rest of her long, soft hair to flow over her shoulders. These were Lily's trademarks and they were adorable. She was also carrying a small purse that was slung across her chest.

Leo wore grey shorts and a green, v-necked shirt. His tool belt was wrapped around his waist like he always had for emergencies whether it was for a monster attack or a quick go-to for snacks. Piper wouldn't openly admit it to him personally, mostly because it would degrade it from it's actual use, but she could totally see it as the ultimate baby bag for his kids. Whatever they needed, they had it right there in the tool belt. Teenage Leo would _hate_ the comparison. He'd treat it as if it were a personal insult.

Crossing the street, Lily bobbing up and down on her father's shoulders, she lightly patted a rhythm on his forehead with her delicate fingers. "Daddy, can we go to the toy store now?"

"The toy store? _Mi pequeña flor_ (My little flower), I thought you enjoyed walking around the hardware store," Leo said rather seriously. Gee, he must be a really fun dad. Walking through hardware stores and calling that fun? Those poor kids.

"But we spent days in there! You kept saying you needed this and that and this and that..."

"All the while," he interrupted, "you kept begging and begging to go home..."

"Because you took forever and ever..."

"And you kept nagging and nagging..."

"And you ignored and ignored... Ah!" Lily quickly burst into a laughing fit caused by Leo's fingers tickling her side. She pulled at them with one of her hands and pushed them away. "Stop it!"

"Why? Are you ticklish?"

The little girl just giggled and shook her head sheepishly though keeping herself ready for any more unwelcome tickling. "No... But, Daddy, can we? I wanna go look at the toys."

Leo stopped to look at his watch, biting his lip as if struggling to read the time. "I dunno, _mi pequeña flor_. The parking meter only has fifteen minutes left and I don't want a ticket. Can we do it some other time?"

"Nooooo," she whined with a fake cry, mildly kicking her short legs against his chest. "Please? I want to look at the stuffies! Daddy, I'll be the best little girl in the world! Pleeeeeeeaaaassee?"

It was obvious how much of a decision this was turning out to be for the poor thirty-year-old Leo. If Piper wasn't mistaken, it almost seemed as if he wanted to go there as well but wasn't sure if they had enough time. One thing was certain at least: Leo hadn't lost his child-like behavior after all those years. It was laughable really. Something told her Percy would end up walking in there without hesitation too. They're personalities were similar that way. Just a bunch of little kids beneath these two tough men.

Impatient Lily, waiting for an answer, leaned over his head and brought her face to his, blocking his view. " _¿Por favor, con una cereza en la parte superior?_ (Pretty please with a cherry on top?)" She kissed his forehead for extra bribery.

With a smile, Leo lifted her up and set her on her own feet. " _Solo por quince minutos._ _Entonces nos vamos a casa._ (Only for fifteen minutes. Then we go home)"

She grinned with eager excitement and jumped up and down. "Yay! This way!" and she grabbed her _Papi's_ hand before dashing down the street towards a cream-colored building at the end of the block. The sign above the door read **_Lucky's Toy Store_** with bright bold letters on top of a blue background filled with teddy bears, dolls, and other traditional toys. Two large windows on either side of the door displayed wonderful temptations ranging from detailed train sets to Easy Bake Ovens that would make any child drool with envy.

When they walked inside, she could see how much the outside was deceiving. The place was even bigger than it looked! Now Piper knew why even Leo wanted to come here. This place was a paradise for any child of any age. Child merchandises of all kinds lined the walls from ceiling to floor. Toys even hung from the ceilings! However, none of this seemed to faze Lily as she practically dragged her father down the isles until they came up to a huge shelf filled with pretty much any animal you could possibly imagine. She had obviously been here enough times to know where each one was as she let go of Leo's hand and dug through one of the baskets to pull out a pink bunny.

Lifting it up to her face, she grinned. "See, _Papi_? This is the bunny I was telling you about yesterday! Look! It even has a ribbon on its neck!" She brought her finger under the stuffy's head and showed a purple bow tie. "Can you buy it for me? Please, _Papi_?"

Leo laughed at her amusement. "But it's pink. Bunnies aren't pink. And what's this?" he said pointing to its side. Stitched next to the tail was a large heart to match the ribbon. "Their hearts are not on their bottoms. This is highly unbelievable, Lily."

His daughter laughed. "That's because it's a _toy_. Oh! And look at this one!" she suddenly gleamed and grabbed a turtle with large brown eyes. "If I had this one, I would call it Shelly. She could sleep with me in my bed."

Clearly trying to drop the hint that he wasn't about to buy any kind of toy today, Leo grabbed it from her and examined it from top to bottom. Shaking his head, he looked at her with dissatisfaction. "The eyes are too big. You sure you would want this thing sleeping in the same bed as you? It would scare me half to death if I saw this face looking back at me in the middle of the night."

"What about this one then?" she asked grabbing a polar bear with icy blue eyes. "I could call this one Snowball. You know, Daddy, I don't have a teddy bear," she hinted.

Placing the turtle back in his basket, he smirked at her. "I think this one's whole head is too big. It looks like a fuzzy bobble head."

Lily pouted slightly and then grabbed a blue whale from the shelf. "I like this one too. Look how big this one is!" and she hugged it. Sure enough, it was pretty much as big as she was from head to toe... not that she was very big herself though.

"I think _everything_ about that one is too big for you, ___mi pequeña flor__ ,_" he laughed. "It could swallow you whole!"

Taking the whale away from her face, she looked at him as if she was questioning if he was actually teasing. "Daddy, it's a toy. It can't gobble me up."

"Oh no? Maybe you'll believe me if I show you, huh?" he said and grabbed the toy from her and crouched to her height. "Take this... what shall we call it?... Mr. Humpback - was swimming around when he suddenly spotted a little girl with long, golden hair in a pink shirt," he told her while bobbing it up and down to make it swim.

Lily looked down at what she was wearing and her grin turned into a giggle.

"Then, ever so carefully," he whispered with a look in his eyes, "he sneaks up... and... attacks!" and he threw it at her.

Almost falling down from the weight of it, she laughed. She picked it up and pulled out a huge striped snake that had been coiled up on the shelves instead. "Then Slither the snake comes to the rescue and ties Daddy up," she said loosely wrapping it around his neck.

"Oh yeah?" he said while grabbing a red dinosaur resembling a T-Rex. "Little did he know that Ms. Jurassic was out for the hunt."

This concept was clearly exciting her because she quickly grabbed a pink zebra-striped giraffe and clashed it against the dinosaur. "The magical zebra giraffe can fight it though!"

This went back and forth for a while, the two pulling random animals off the shelves, until the floor was almost completely covered in various species of stuffed animals ranging from monkeys to elephants. Piper laughed at how much fun the two were having with each other and it was almost a shame when a store employee found them sitting in the middle of the isle chucking animals at each other.

"Excuse me, sir," said the shocked teenager, "but I'm going to have to ask the both of you to clean this up."

Leo turned around to face her with the snake still coiled around his neck and a spotted cow on his head. At that moment, he suddenly remembered where he was and pulled the stuffies off. "I-I'm sorry about that. I guess we kinda got carried away, didn't we, Lily?"

She nodded sheepishly, which was funny because she was just about to throw a sheep at him. She set it down, suddenly very shy.

"I understand that, sir," the employee went on, "but unless you pay for them, they are not to be played with. Store rules. Sorry."

After watching her walk away, Leo turned back to Lily and the two of them had a round of giggles. Eventually though, he decided to act like the adult and stood up, wiping his bottom from any dirt that had been on the floor. "I guess we should be heading out... now..." His eyes grew wide with panic. "The parking meter!" He quickly checked his watch and swore under his breath, just quiet enough for Lily not to hear. "We should've been gone ten minutes ago!"

He then bent down and began to scoop the animals in his arms and stuffing them back on their shelves at a rapid pace, not caring where they all actually went. Lily helped him, though she was more precise on where they went as she placed them each in their own proper home.

Eventually, they rushed out the door and down the street to find one of those large vans for larger families parked in front of a meter. Unlike any other vehicle though, it didn't have a regular paint job. This one was a shiny bronze with plated siding that looked well taken care of. The front license plate had a picture of a dragon blowing flames and the grill just above the front bumper displayed a large letter F. The difference between this vehicle and the others were tremendous, though there was one thing that it had in common with the truck beside it: a small sheet of paper tucked under the windshield wiper.

Leo groaned as he walked up and pulled it out, swearing once more. Sighing, he then shoved it in his pocket and pulled the side door open. His seven-year-old gladly climbed in and began buckling herself into her car seat. He made his way to the drivers seat.

As they pulled out, he looked through his rear view mirror at Lily. "Do me a solid, _cosas cortas_ (short stuff). Don't tell mamá that I got a ticket, okay?"

"Okay," she answered cheerfully.

He hit the steering wheel with his palm. "Man! I can't believe this! Calypso's gonna _kill_ me if she finds out! How am I gonna hide this from her?!"

His rant lasted for another five solid minutes, just him talking to himself about his luck, when suddenly, in the middle of his rant, in that perfect moment, Leo managed to look back at his daughter again just as she was opening her little purse to bring something out. His eyes grew large. In her hands was a mini stuffed turtle just like the larger one she had shown him earlier, only this one had big green eyes.

Leo shook his head in disbelief. "Oooooh no. Oooooooooooooooh no. Lily, did you steal that thing? Did you actually _steal_ that?!"

Startled that she had been caught red handed, she quickly stuffed it back in her purse with a pale face. "W-what?" she uttered.

"Lily, what did you think you were doing?! What's wrong with you?! You know better than to steal!"

"I-I didn't steal it..."

"Oh, you didn't, did you?!" he fought back. "Well then if you didn't steal it, do you mind telling me how you paid for it, cause I sure the hell didn't!"

Lily looked down at her purse again and sunk back in her car seat. The facial expression she gave him proved that she was guilty of what he was accusing her of.

He let out a heavy sigh filled with frustration and annoyance. "I'm very disappointed in you right now, Lily. After everything your mother and I taught you and your siblings, you go and pull a stunt like this! What were you thinking?!"

Pulling the turtle out of her purse again, she kept it out in plain sight, flopping its little flippers. "I just wanted to have a special toy. Anita always takes the ones I have and never gives them back. Noah does too, but he hides them. I only took a little one. I didn't think they would miss it."

Leo opened his mouth to say something, but closed it soon after as he pressed his fingers to his eyes in a tired fashion. There was silence from him for a second or two, and when he did say something, he stole another glance at her through his mirror. "Lily," he sighed. "I'm sorry that you don't feel like you can keep a toy for yourself, but that doesn't mean it's okay to steal. You know that. We could've come back for it another day."

She thought about this for a little while and then brought her gaze up to him, guilt drowning her. "Do I have to take it back?"

Despite his anger and frustration he had displayed only moments earlier, he huffed with a small smile. "Tell you what: If you don't tell Mommy I got a ticket, I won't make you take it back. Just don't blab that you stole the thing."

Lily's worried frown melted into a grin. "Thanks, _Papi_! I won't say a thing!"

He brought his eyes back on the road with his lips pressed together. After a while, he began chuckling to himself quietly. The chuckling gradually grew louder and louder only for it to grow into full out laughter. The seven-year-old looked at him funny from her car seat and began giggling with him.

"Daddy," she uttered. "What's so funny?"

Wiping tears from the eyes, he tried to explain. "W-we became quite the criminals today, didn't we, _cosas cortas_ (short stuff)? First we steal a toy, then we get a ticket for not paying our parking meter! I-if the others could s-see me now! Letting my own k-kid steal!" he gasped for air. "I would p-probably win first prize for the most irresponsible father in the US! I just let my kid steal a toy from a toy store!"

Watching the two of them burst into another round of laughter, Piper added her own. As crazy as it seemed, she totally believed he would do something like that! Sure, he proved how responsible he was in other circumstances even as a teenager, but this was one of those moments where Leo Valdez showed his inner bad-boy behavior to his own kids. Sometimes, Piper wondered how he managed to raise seven well-behaved kids let alone survive on his own. It almost seemed like the guy had no limits.

Eventually, they managed to get back home to find Noah playing on the piano they had in the corner of their living room, his little fingers tapping the keys to create an old familiar children's tune. As soon as he heard the door open, he swung himself around to find the laughing pair trudging in with red faces.

"What's the matter?" Noah asked with a suspicious grin. "What's so funny?"

Leo shut the door and calmed his laughter. "N-nothing, bud. We were just talking. We made a joke."

The little boy smiled wider and hopped off the bench. "Tell me! I wanna hear it!"

His father simply ruffled his hair and walked past him, still chuckling. "Some other day, bud. Some other day..."

* * *

 **I know. This was really short and 100% a filler chapter, but I felt like without it, the next thing would've come too fast. This was necessary even though it didn't seem like it. Again, sorry it was short. I'm sure you guys were all expecting something grand after such a long wait.  
**

 **The next chapter will have more plot building, so stay tuned! ;D**

 **Chapter thirteen will soon be available...**

 **(Also, check out my new story if you will! It's called, _A Light in the Dark_ )**

 **~supworld~**


	13. Chapter 13

**I HAVE A NEW POLL QUESTION ON MY PROFILE PAGE ABOUT WHAT STORY I SHOULD WRITE NEXT! PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT YOU WILL PICK! I want to start on one soon, so...**

 **We're on chapter thirteen! Thank you so much for sticking with this story all the way up to this point! You make me happy!**

 **(If you noticed, I finally fixed my title to _Someday_ instead of _Some Day_. Yay! Thank you **goldenlynx16 **for pointing that out! I didn't even see that option before!)  
**

 **Hey,** Guest: **Thank you so much! I'll admit, I've have worse writers block (ESPECIALLY CHAPTER EIGHT! I literally thought that one was going to be the death of me! XD) It means a lot to know that someone else doesn't see it the way I do. Whenever I write, I expect myself to love every chapter, but life isn't like that. Oh well. And yes! Calypso will have her turn with one (or _possibly_ more) of the boys. Super excited about that myself. :) **

**I feel like you guys have been waiting long enough to see where this story is going to go. So, without waiting any further, it's time to see what happens next! (I know. I totally skipped ahead in time, but I've been wanting to start writing the other parts too. I'm impatient with myself)  
**

 **Sorry for any incorrect grammar... *sigh* I'm boring _myself_. -_- On with the story.  
**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
You know what I'm gonna say, so: The Seven and any other recognizable PJO character? Not mine. Kids? Totally.  
**

* * *

 **~Percy's POV~**

It had been a whole week-and-a-half since the quartet arrived at camp and the excitement of their presence was gradually dying down. They've all begun to make new friends fairly quickly and have had a great time playing the war games in the evenings. Every one of them were starting to blend into the mix rather nicely. They fit in perfectly with everything so fast it almost made Percy jealous. During his first summer here, he'd managed to get his head dunked in a toilet by none other than Clarisse La Rue (not that it mattered cause he couldn't get wet), and suffered with the lack of common sense. It was a good thing he had Grover and Annabeth to back him up. Without them, he probably would've died of exhaustion from taking it all in.

Sophia, Olivia, Liam, and the-little-guy-he-didn't-remember-the-name-of-but-was-so-darn-cute-even-in-Percy's-eyes, were doing great. Heck, they even managed to get the Ares cabin to like them! Two words. Not. Fair. Even Clarisse was being nice to them (did he mention he was jealous?), but he suspected it was because she and her siblings expected the new guys to get claimed by Ares too. He had to admit, it wasn't impossible. The three older ones were persistent on training and getting into shape for whatever reason and they rocked at it! They could easily match the Ares kids no problem.

With that said, Percy was in the middle of waiting his turn for the firewall. Sophia and Olivia were racing to the top, both determined to win. The crowd of campers also waiting their turn cheered them on, either calling _Go, Sophia! You can do it!_ or _You've got this, Olivia! Don't give up!  
_

"Just push Olivia off for Zeus's sake! What're you waiting for?!"

Percy felt his face crumple in confusion and turned around to see Clarisse watching the siblings with great intensity. If he wasn't afraid of her fist making contact with his face, he would've laughed at her. Instead he turned around again and hid his smirk.

"Sophie! Sophie!" Liam called out from the sidelines. He was clapping his hands like a two-year-old and beaming with excitement. It was clear who he was cheering for.

The confidence of the eldest sister must have been boosted from her brother because with a smirk - one that looked dangerously familiar - she shoved her sister to the side just enough for Olivia to lose her balance for a second or two in order to step on the plank her hand had once been on. She pulled herself up, avoiding obstacles on the way up and narrowly missing a jet of flames. Her sister shouted at her and declared that she was cheating, but she obviously didn't care about that.

Percy watched with interest as she grabbed a metal rod sticking out and started hauling herself up. The crowd gasped as her hand slipped and almost caused her to drop to the ground - which would _not_ have been a nice fall. This bought Olivia some time to catch up to her and with another hoist upwards, she found a way to bring herself even higher than Sophia.

Her sister growled and visibly gritted her teeth.

The chase was on and the atmosphere got even more exciting. Percy openly cheered for Olivia though he knew to keep his guard up for the deadly daughter of Ares directly behind him. People could be competitive, but Clarisse knew how to bring it to a whole new level. Once she stuffed one of the Stoll's in a barrel because Travis won in a game of poker (for m&m's mind you). In his defense, he kept claiming he won fair and square, but who was naive enough to actually believe him? Not Clarisse.

"Come on, Olivia!" Percy shouted out as she tried hard to keep her lead on her sister. At one point, a blast of flames nearly startled her enough to lose her grip like her sister had, but she quickly recovered. If Percy saw right, it looked as if she actually passed right _through_ the flames. No. That couldn't be right. If she did that, she'd be charred. It would be more believable if Leo himself was up there in her place.

Both girls were closing in on the top of the wall now, only feet away. Everyone was calling louder now, rooting for whoever they thought would win and strengthening the intensity of the scene. Even from the height they were, Percy could see the sweat dripping off both girls. It wasn't easy climbing a huge wall while wearing a bunch of armor, but they did it as if it was only natural.

Olivia kicked at Sophia in a weak attempt to keep her beneath her, but she simply dodged it and jumped to a different pole. It was a mistake for Olivia to bring her attention back to the top at that moment because Sophia took that opening to give her the taste of her own medicine. With a bite of her lip, she gipt tightly to the pole she was holding onto and swung her leg up at the determined Latino. Her foot hit her in the side of the leg with great impact, causing Olivia's feet to fly out from under her and then she crashed down a few planks with a loud _A_ _gh!_

"Sorry!" Sophia called down, but the smile on her face said she wasn't. With success in sight, she hauled herself up those last few bars with ease and grinned wildly as she stood on the wall in triumph. Her hands went to her hips and she held herself with pride as the campers around her all cheered.

Olivia on the other hand, groaned with defeat and made her way down.

Percy walked up to her and patted her shoulder. "Good try."

With a grumble, she nodded and rubbed her hip. "I can never beat her on that thing. I came this close!" she exclaimed while measuring about an inch between her index finger and thumb. " _This close!_ Then she had to go and kick me."

Percy laughed as he put his helmet on and got ready for his own turn. "Don't sell yourself short there, Olivia. Most campers take weeks to master this thing."

She looked at him curiously. "How long did it take you?"

He shrugged. "A week."

Olivia snorted and walked away.

Before she could get too far though, Percy saw Leo heading over with his little stunt double, what's-his-name, hanging off his shoulders like a koala bear. It was funny the way it looked like Leo had two heads. Thankfully, the four-year-old was now wearing actual clothing that the Aphrodite cabin had insisted on making for him. Instead of his spaceman onesies, he wore a pair of blue jeans and a red t-shirt. It was too bad he was still bare foot though. There were no shoes his size in Camp Half-Blood. Of all the things they needed...

He waved them over. "Leo! My man! You gonna watch me rock this thing?"

He made it over to Percy and the girls. Saluting him, he slid the toddler off his back only for the little guy to hug at his leg instead.

For some reason, Leo and the newcomers had started to form a tight bond between the five of them, which was highly creepy because of how similar they looked. Percy was almost tempted to start calling them the Latino gang, but he didn't want to come across as racist. As unclaimed kids, they were preferred to sit with the Hermes group during meals, but Chiron seemed to have an exception for them sitting with Leo and the Hephaestus group. He didn't really know why, but who was he to make a fuss about it?

"Are you guys busy right now?" Leo asked while ruffling the kid's hair.

Percy glanced at the girls. Sophia got safely to the ground again and hugged Liam lovingly as if it was only natural that she did right after her victory. "I don't think so. Well, actually, I was going to have my turn at the firewall."

"Nope."

"What? Why?" Percy whined.

The son of Hephaestus brushed a hand through his curly hair the way he did when he was nerves. "Chiron has summoned the Seven and the newbies for a private meeting at the Big House."

Percy's whines got louder. "Nooooooo! I'm done with prophecies! I wanna turn on the wall!"

Leo smirked at him. "You know, Annabeth was right."

"Hmm?"

"You do sound like a baby when you whine."

"I do not!"

"Sure thing, fish breath."

From the side, the girls giggled. Why did they always have to take Leo's side for everything?

"Well," Leo began as he picked the little guy up into his arms again. "If you don't come, I guess you'll be missing out on the blue cookies," and he turned and walked away.

Percy practically threw his helmet on the ground and ran after him. "The wall can wait."

* * *

"They're _what?!_ " Percy asked with enough shock to speak for everyone in the room, which happened to be a lot. Not only were the Seven present, but Will, Austin, Rachel, Ben, Katie and the newbies were there, not to mention Chiron. Every person in the meeting room was either staring at the four siblings or Piper and Leo. Percy couldn't really make up his mind which person to look at so he just stood and looked around the group of people.

"T-that's impossible!" Rachel declared with conviction. "There's no possible _way_ they can be what you say they are! If they were, they... they..." She through her hands up in the air in frustration. "It just doesn't work that way!"

"How do we know you're not teasing us?" Frank questioned with suspicion. "If Leo's in on this..."

"Frank, look at them!" Hazel declared overwhelmed. "They look so much like him! Especially the little guy on his lap! I couldn't get over how much they looked alike from the minute I got here! This isn't a trick... or at least I don't think it is. How could someone possibly fake this? "

Beside Leo, Jason faced him. "Dude! Are you serious right now? Is Piper and Sophia telling the truth?"

Leo sat with the little toddler on his lap, his face displaying how stressed he was. The only thing keeping him from bursting into flames at the moment was the little boy. He was playing with Leo's fingers, opening and closing each one with contented interest as if he was expecting something about them to change. The little dude was seriously easy to entertain.

"If _you_ think it's hard to believe, try being _me_ ," Leo uttered. "I nearly had a heart attack when I was first told."

"But..." Ben said with confusion. "They're a dream, right? Piper said she was only having dreams of these people. Are they even real?"

The two oldest sisters glared at him.

"Why wouldn't they be?" Will asked. "They're sitting here with us in the same room, have trained with us for over a week, and ate our food." He looked at Olivia and then at Leo with the little kid in his arms. "Also, like Hazel stated, the resemblance is insanely accurate. Except for Liam."

"He's still our brother," Sophia said. "Unlike the rest of us here, he looks like our mother, not our father."

From the side, Leo cringed so badly, Percy felt sorry for the guy.

"We also have other siblings back at home. Some of them there take after Mom as well."

"Dude, that is so messed up," Percy uttered at the thought of his friend being a father.

Leo cringed again.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Percy apologized.

With unease, Austin looked at the eldest Valdez kid. "So, basically, what you are trying to tell us, is that you came from the future claiming to be Leo's _kids?_ How does that add up?"

Sophia groaned and put her hand to her head. "It's complicated."

"Isn't that, like, science fiction though?" Katie asked. Everyone looked at her. She hadn't said a word since the beginning of the meeting. "I mean, time travel isn't real. "

Annabeth turned to her with seriousness. "From what I've read, it isn't exactly impossible. In order to travel through time however, you'd need to find a way to bend space and time, and one of the ways you could do that is by traveling through a wormhole. What I don't understand though, is that traveling to the past is much harder than traveling to the future. So..." She brought her attention to Sophia who was standing beside Piper in the front of the room. "If what you say is true, how in the _world_ did you do it and why?"

This was the part clearly no one knew, not even Piper or Leo. How Percy knew that? Everyone grew silent.

Yes. Percy Jackson could actually figure that much out. He wasn't _that_ dumb.

At this point, Sophia bit her lip and stared at the floor anxiously. Olivia was eyeing her sister for any hint of what she was thinking. In fact, the whole room was staring at her and hoping to know what was going on in her mind. Even Chiron's face was twisted and confused. The guy had seen some pretty crazy stuff in his life, but this was no doubt his first time-travelers experience. Percy had to admit though, this was frickin' cool!

And creepy.

"Sophia?" Piper asked her cautiously with a hand on her shoulder. "Why did you come here?"

With that, the curly-haired Latino looked up and met her eyes. She shot a quick glance at her sister sitting on a nearby chair as well, but mostly, she was focused on the daughter of Aphrodite. Eventually, she averted her gaze to look at the rest of everyone there.

She sighed. "Well, I guess you all deserve a better explanation than our training excuse."

Leo nodded as if to make a point.

Taking a few moments to collect her thoughts, she tried to stand up straighter, which only ended up looking like she was highly uncomfortable in her shoes. "The training part wasn't a lie. We _have_ needed to train and get back into shape."

"For what?" Frank asked. "Can't you train in your own time? Or do you not normally go to camp?"

"No, we come to camp like everyone else," she assured, fiddling with her shoulder-length curls. "In the winter we go back home again."

"Then why can't you train there?" Hazel questioned her.

Sophia was clearly feeling overwhelmed by it all. "Remember how Piper described a little about her dreams?"

The group nodded suspiciously.

"Well, in one of those dreams, she mentioned the scene where _Papi_ and I were sitting on my bed after an argument we had had that day."

Frank snickered. "You call Leo _Papi_?"

Leo's face grew bright red. "Shut it, Zhang!"

Percy couldn't help it. He laughed out loud.

"It means dad," Sophia muttered. "Anyway, I was upset because for three solid months, _Mamá_ and _Papi_ were all of a sudden incredibly overprotective over us kids to the point where we had to Iris message them every two hours if we were hanging out with a friend. Most of the time, though, our friends had to come to our house to hang out so our parents could keep their eyes on us, which got kinda annoying."

Everyone turned to Leo with surprised faces.

"You, Leo Valdez, end up _that_ _strict?_ " Jason smirked. "Geeze, dude! I'm no parent, but cut your kids some slack, man! That's just plain mean!"

"Hey!" he yelled back. "I don't even _have_ kids yet and you're already bugging me! It's not my fault!"

"Actually, it kinda is," Rachel smirked.

"Whatever," he grumbled.

Sophia huffed. "Can I just continue? So, that night, I ended up talking to him about it, and he said that there was a reason for all of that. _Papi_ had said that they had received word from Camp Half-Blood about a group of monsters hunting the Seven and their children to take revenge for Geae's death. That's why you and Mom were so protective over us," she said looking at Leo, her voice becoming crackly with emotion.

"So... What does that mean then?" Annabeth asked. "How is this connected with you and your siblings sitting in the same room as us?"

"I... T-the night... I..." She took a fresh breath and pressed her shaky lips together. "I'm sorry. It's j-just hard... t-to..."

Seeing her sister's struggle, Olivia stood up from her own seat and stood beside Sophia. Placing her hand on her shoulder, she faced the group with the strength her sister lacked. "We came here to save our father and little brother."

"What do you mean?" Leo dared to ask with hesitation.

"It means that there was an attack and... things didn't work out so well."

"Gods," Piper whispered and fell into the nearest empty seat. "Oh, gods. Does this mean that Zeus didn't allow Leo's wife and the rest of you to Olympus? He actually _refused_ to protect you guys?!"

Olivia silently nodded her head. "Yes."

The anger the daughter of Aphrodite emitted was strong enough to fill the entire room. "Of all the low down things that god has already done! How could he possibly do something so horrid?! To forbid your guys' safety like that?! To just let something that terrible happen?!"

"W-what do you mean?" Leo repeated, sounding slightly panicked now. "What are you talking about? Who's safety? What does this have to do with Zeus?"

Piper jumped to her feet in order to rant some more, however, Olivia gently pushed her back down. "Because of the danger we were in from the monsters hunting us down, Apollo decided to try to help us by asking his father to hide our family at Olympus. Zeus declined because he didn't want to have children running around his 'glorious halls'," she muttered.

"That son of a -"

"Piper," Chiron cut her off. "Please. Let them finish."

Not looking happy about it, she sat back down and crossed her arms. She was seriously affected by all of this and none of it had to do with her personally. Maybe dreaming about those things got to her though.

"So," Leo dared to start. "If you're saying that we end up in danger and Zeus refuses to help, h-how bad is the attack exactly? What happens on our end? Or do I even _want_ to know?"

This was the part where the sisters' expressions grew extra dark.

Olivia looked him in the eyes. "Dad, in our time, you and Noah are both dead."

That statement hung in the air for a few seconds, completely undisturbed by anyone sitting there. Piper looked as if her mind was spinning so fast she could hardly keep up, while Leo sat rather shocked, paying no mind to the little boy still playing with his fingers. The rest of them? Well, seeing how they only just learned everything only a few minutes ago, they didn't really know how to take that. Should they be sad? Mad? What they were, were surprised.

"O-oh," Leo uttered barely audible.

Sophia wiped a tear from her eye and sighed with newfound strength. "It's been only been two months since the attack, but the weight of it all already started building on us within that time frame. Our whole family has begun to fall apart because of it. The way Mom breaks down every time she's reminded of you or Noah... It hurts so much to think back to the way things are back at home right now. Aunt Hazel and Uncle Frank are even living with us at the moment to give Mom a little help around the house, especially with the new baby and all. Lily won't eat anything because of her lost twin and Liam has been having fits constantly. Milo follows Mom around everywhere without saying a word and Anita cries nonstop.

"It was during one of those difficult nights when I just couldn't take it anymore. I'd had enough of the bickering and the screaming. The tears were growing too numerous to hold back anymore and I needed out. So, I grabbed my coat and left the house to wander the dark streets. I walked for a while - honestly, I don't even know for how long - but eventually I came across a large, muscular man in a business suit. He had a scruffy beard and a horribly shaped nose, but even though he looked intimidating, something told me to walk up and talk to him - so I did.

"I found out he was my grandfather, Hephaestus. He comes to visit us at home every once in a while so we kids know him. His visits are rare though.

"Anyway, long story short, it turned out that he was there for a reason. He came to offer me a proposition."

Leo looked at her skeptically. "And what's that?"

"The funny car!" the four-year-old suddenly shouted out. "It goes really fast, Daddy! It goes up and down and side to side and down and up." While he said this, his little hands made descriptive motions of what he was trying to explain.

Percy tried really hard to ignore the fact that the kid just called his friend daddy. Leo was frickin' _sixteen!_

"The time machine?" Jason asked. "Is that what he's talking about?"

"Yes," Sophia answered. "The night I found _Abuelo_ (Grandpa), he told me how much he was supposedly suffering over _Papi_ and Noah's deaths, so he suggested a plan to bring them back. This was through the time machine he gave us. I got excited and hope-filled, so I ran back home and packed for my journey. I even convinced Olivia and Liam to come along. Of course, though, we didn't leave without leaving Mom a note."

"Of course," Annabeth marveled. "This all makes sense now. You went back in time in order to stop whatever killed them."

"G-guys..." Leo stuttered nervously from the side, adjusting the toddler on his lap. "I'm _really_ not liking this conversation right now. Is there any possibility we could change the topic and talk more about why they came here to train?"

Olivia gave him a look. "Dad, that's all part of the same topic. The reason we came here to train is to obtain our own revenge on _your_ guys' death. We know the monsters who killed you and Noah have been around ever since the defeat of Geae, so we know they have been kindling their anger and hate for you and the rest of the Seven ever since. And here's the thing, we are not only here to save you and our brother, but for the Seven and their families in general... but mostly you and Noah."

"In order to do that," Sophia cut in, "we have to hunt them the way they hunted us, only we have to be the first to make a move. That involves preparing for the inevitable fight, aka, to train."

"I have a few questions," Will said with his hands making a "time out" sign. "Firstly, why have you chosen this year? It could have been any time before the attack, so why here?"

"Good question,"Sophia nodded. "See, while the monsters 'sulked', they were also planning the attack, and in the meantime, they trained and strengthened their combat skills like a demigod would. They knew the Seven are strong and difficult to beat, so they became dead set on taking each one down no matter what it took. Their initial intention was to start with the children of the Seven once they knew about them, but, obviously, their plans changed."

"So basically,"Annabeth summed up, "the closer the year after Geae's death, the weaker these monsters will be."

"Exactly."

She nodded with satisfaction with her correct statement and Percy rolled his eyes. Annabeth teased him for being a showoff and here she seems to be mentally bragging, herself.

Hypocrite.

Will interrupted again. "Here's my second question then: Are you implying we have another quest?"

"No!" Percy whined. "No! I vote no!"

Chiron cleared his throat and Percy jumped. Gods! He'd forgotten he was even there!

"If you are to set out on another quest, we must have permission from a god," the centaur stated.

"Actually," Olivia pointed out, "Hephaestus was the one to send us here, so, technically, we are already on a quest for him. He didn't give us a prophecy or anything, but it can still count as a quest."

Sophia looked at the group with determination written in her large, brown eyes. "That brings the topic to the next. If we are to continue in our quest, we are in need of others to come along with us. Although the monsters are still in training mode at the moment, their numbers are large. We wouldn't be able to take them all down easily if it was just Liam, Olivia and myself facing them. I know you guys just finished the Prophecy of Seven and don't really feel like risking your lives again, especially so soon, but the help would really be appreciated."

Chiron scratched his chin in thought. "How many do suppose are suitable to assist you on your journey?"

She shrugged. "Well, as many as possible or as many that are willing. Honestly, I never really expected more then three others to come along. The doors are open though. In fact, the more demigods, the better actually. We don't fully know the location for these monsters, so if we could lure them to us, our work wouldn't be as tedious."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Leo suddenly cut in. "Are you suggesting to _attract_ monsters? Normally, that's a big 'no no' for any demigod. It's literally like saying, _Hey, look at me! I'm a free meal! Come and eat me!_ That's a terrible plan!"

"We're aware of this," Sophia told him. "It's the only way though."

From beside Percy, Annabeth made a face. "I'm not sure about that. How about bringing along three or four others like you suggested? They could be the more powerful demigods to help you out on your journey, but taking everyone is took risky, even if your plan _is_ to attract monsters. More than seven will become overwhelmingly dangerous. Seven can be pushing it though."

"It makes sense," Ben uttered from across from them. He was playing with a bouncy ball he had apparently had in his pocket. "I've heard of a group of demigods who left camp as a crowd of ten. Only one made it back alive, though in serious condition. Keep the group mediocre."

Frank nodded. "It's a good suggestion. So, now that we know not to involve so many, who's all going?"

The room grew silent and everyone looked at each other. Ben, Katie, Austin, and Will visibly slouched and sunk into their seats, showing they were not about to volunteer. They wouldn't be likely to join anyway since they weren't as strong as most there. Everyone else all seemed to be having the most epic staring contest known to man. Jason and Piper were talking to each other via eye contact whereas Annabeth and Hazel looked to be daring the other to say something first.

It was from the side though, in between Jason and Hazel, that a voice spoke up.

"I'll go."

All eyes turned to Leo.

"Are you sure?" Hazel asked. "This quest will probably be incredibly dangerous."

"Pft," he shooed. "Sure, I know that, but let's be serious for a second..."

"Wow. Didn't know that was possible for you," Frank mumbled from the other side of his girlfriend.

Leo glared at the big guy. "Yes, Zhang, I _can_ do that. But really. Why wouldn't I go? This is _my_ _future_ we're talking about. I think I should at least take part in it instead of watch it all from the sidelines. Besides," he smirked. "I think we can all agree I'm the most amazing person out of all of you guys."

Rachel scoffed. "Valdez, how did you ever become a hero of Olympus?"

"Easy, my friend," he grinned. "I'm the Super-Sized McShizzle. For me, anything is possible."

She fake gagged herself.

"Oh, come on! You love me!"

"That's enough, Valdez," Chiron chided. "So, that makes four. Anyone else?"

The silence didn't last so long this time.

Piper stood from her seat. "I'll go too. I've been having the dreams, so it only makes sense for me to go. I know more of the backstory better than most here."

"So then we're five," Sophia grinned. "Anyone else?"

Percy thought about raising his hand for a split second before realizing he didn't have to go. Usually, when in the middle of a meeting like this, he was used to going anyway, whether he liked it or not. He breathed with relief when he realized that wasn't the case this time.

"Frank and I could go," Jason said after a moment of thought. "If you are in need of strong powered demigods, the two of us could work. You up for that Frank?"

Percy was tempted to jump up and ask him to repeat that statement to his face, but he knew it wasn't the time for that.

Again, yes. Percy Jackson sometimes realized there were moments when it was inappropriate to do something like that.

Annabeth would punish him otherwise.

Frank shrugged. "Sure. Anything to get away from the new campers back at Camp Jupiter. They're a mess."

"Too true," the son of Jupiter mumbled under his breath.

The Valdez girls grinned from ear to ear, clearly pleased with the volunteers.

"So we have our gang?" Olivia asked them with hope.

Everyone in the room looked around at each other and nodded one at a time until they all faced the girls in the middle again.

"I believe so," Jason smiled back. "Here's a question of my own though: How long is this quest going to take?"

That's when the smiles faded and Percy was extra happy he didn't raise his hand. From the looks of it, they were expecting it to take quite a while.

"Do you even know where to look for the monsters? And what _kind_ of monsters are we looking for?" Jason continued.

"Er..." Sophia hesitated a bit. "I know the latter answer for sure. Because we have seen them face to face before, we know what to look for. As for where they are located? We only know they are somewhere in Canada. Also... uh... we don't have any clue on how long this quest will take."

Leo sighed and rested his head on the wall behind him. "Yup. Just watch as it will take five whole frickin' months for this thing to be resolved."

The little kid in his arms suddenly turned around and pointed his finger at his chest. "Daddy! You said a bad word!"

"What? No I didn't!"

Olivia laughed at him. "You and _Mamá_ taught him that way. He loves using colorful new words every once in a while, if you know what I mean, so you have to be on the high alert for him in that department."

He gave her a strange look that resulted in everyone in the room laughing.

At that moment, Chiron interrupted them. "Then if everything is settled, should we discus when you will head out?"

Once everyone was at attention, they began throwing suggestions around the room until Piper stepped up. "Maybe we should leave the day after tomorrow. That way we can pack and get ready for this whole thing."

"Good idea," Leo nodded. "Oh, and Frank, do remember to pack enough pairs of pants this time."

Frank grumbled and pouted in his seat. "It wasn't my fault you threw away my dirty laundry last time."

"Then it's settled," Piper stated. "We leave the day after tomorrow with Sophia, Liam, Olivia, Leo, Frank, Jason, and myself. Our general destination: Canada."

Chiron began to back his wheelchair out from his place between Percy's chair and the nearest arcade game to the door. "If the meeting is over then, I'll be on my way. There are other responsibilities I need to take care of and I know I should have already been on them a while ago. I'll be sure to see you all off though. You all have a good rest of your day."

"We will," Sophia nodded. "You too."

After watching him exit the Big House, the others began slowly heading off as well. The first were the ones who were not involved with this new quest, followed by the others. However, just as Percy was about to leave - in fact he had just turned the corner to leave the building all together - he heard Leo go up to Sophia and ask her a question in private. He knew he shouldn't be there to listen, but, really? Who wouldn't be even the slightest bit curious?

"Hey, Sophia?" Leo uttered in a low tone.

"Yeah?"

"Y-you guys kept talking about me and your guys' mom several times throughout your whole explanation. I was just wondering... i-is there any chance you m-might... you know... tell me who that is? Who is it that I marry?"

There was a pause between the two of them that was clearly taken up by a smile by Sophia. " _Papi_ , is it not obvious already? Who are you with right now?"

Again, there was silence and this time, Percy was the one who smiled slightly. He knew exactly who Leo will end up marrying.

"C-Calypso?" Leo whispered in a way that totally gave away his honest excitement. " _Really?_ I get to marry Calypso? Wow. I, uh..." he chuckled. "You know, even though I've always planned to ask her that one specific question, it still baffles me to hear that I actually live that long to actually ask it. And... I guess you're proof too... along with your other siblings. Gods, that's weird."

She laughed. "Well, it's true, and I'll tell you that your love for each other is stronger than I have ever known."

"Again, that's both reassuring and creepy as hell, but, yeah. Thanks. Oh, and do something for me, will ya?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't tell her about you and the others, okay?"

"Oookay. Why?"

" _Weeeeeell_..." Leo uttered hesitantly. "You know... if she's told, then it will spoil the whole surprise. You know how hard it would be to propose to the girl when she already knew we would end up together? Hella hard."

Sophia chuckled. "Okay, _Papi_. I'll make sure no one tells her."

Before Percy gave Leo a chance to find him eavesdropping, he hurried off to continue with the rest of his day. While he walked out the door, the whole time he was thinking to himself, _I wonder if Annabeth and I will ever have the chance to be together the way Leo and Calypso will._

 _Really, that's all I would ever ask for..._

* * *

 **So, I know you might hate me for what I just did.**

 **Yup.**

 **I actually killed them.**

 **You're welcome.**

 **Super sorry guys, but as Rick would say, not really.**

 **There was a _heck_ of a lot of information in this chapter. I had such a great time planning this all out in my head and I'm super excited to see the end product now! I have an idea of course, but my creativity seems to wander and twist the plot without permission from my brain when I write (if that makes any sense). Thus is the reason I end up working on the fly like I do. I don't wholly know what it will turn out like, but hopefully good. :) **

**I would appreciate if you sent me your thoughts on my story via reviews! That way I won't feel like you're just reading it and going "Eh, I'll just read something else". Call me insecure that way, but I honestly feel like I need to _know_ you are still interested. If there are any things you want to point out about my story too, that would be great. I know I had someone remind me that the Stoll's are just brothers, not twins, etc.**

 **I would also like to thank all of you who do review! I love you all and are my incentive to keep updating! ;D**

 **Keep your eye out for chapter fourteen!**

 **~supworld~**


	14. Chapter 14

**I have a new poll question on my profile! Check it out if you would! :)  
**

Panemat: **I had a lot of fun trying to create his reaction to such crazy news. And thank you so much for continuing with the story! I know the beginning doesn't offer much. It was more about introducing the whole future and character development. That was more for myself because I never actually planned on posting this story. I'm impatient with myself though because I just want to go on and start the next section, but I feel I'll just be jumping into it too fast. Or am I? I don't know anymore! DX  
**

 **I'm not going to take up your time by writing an author's note other then get ready for some Caleo interaction!  
**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
I own the kids.**

* * *

 **~Calypso's POV~**

Calypso was more than upset.

She was furious!

How could Leo and the rest just suddenly decide to go on this huge and incredibly dangerous quest without telling her?! They didn't even know when they were coming back, or _if_ they were even coming back! Their whole plan was to attract monsters for whatever reason, leaving the rest of them back at camp to worry like crazy! What a stupid plan! Had they lost their minds?! A god hadn't sent them, Rachel never recited any kind of prophecy, and Chiron was pretty much TOLD they were going instead of asking him permission! There wasn't even any kind of threat! The audacity of them all! And it was all because of those darn kids! If they hadn't shown up, no one would be leaving camp and risking their lives for no reason! Who did they think they were?!

Stabbing her food with exaggerated force, she took a bite of her salad and ignored the glances she got from the other campers. They could stare all they wanted. She was angry.

For each cherry tomato she found in her bowl, she punctured it with her fork.

 _Stab_

That was for Leo ditching her.

 _Stab_

That was for him risking his life on an impossible quest.

 _Stab_

That was for him making her worry once again.

 _Stab_

That was for him forcing her to wait until she could see him again - _if_ she could, that was.

Part of her wanted to calm down because the decision for them to leave on a quest was spontaneous and unexpected. How were they supposed to warn her or anyone else that they were going to leave like that? The other part? Well, the other part of her just didn't think it was right to leave in the first place! Did Leo not understand the kind of anxiety he was causing her?!

Speaking of Leo, Calypso happened to look up at a certain moment to watch him make his way into the dining pavilion with the others in tow. All seven of them have been busy packing all day and discussing more plans on whatever the heck their whole quest was about. It was no surprise they were all late for lunch. She had barely seen any of them even in passing since the morning, and even then, they were always too busy to talk. To be honest, she was actually surprised they even _remembered_ to eat, Leo especially. He forgot regularly.

Throughout the whole meal, she stole glances at him sitting with his siblings. The new kids were sitting with them as usual (Milo, for the millionth time on his lap) which for some reason made her fists clench. She didn't hate them, nor was she jealous about how much time they spent together. What did make her upset though, was the fact that Leo was forgetting about her. His priorities were beginning to narrow down to the newbies, the forge, and now the quest. Calypso was set on the back burner and it didn't seem like he even bothered to care. She didn't know if she should bring this up and risk causing an argument, or let it be and see what happens. The latter wasn't very promising though.

Once lunch was over, she decided she wanted advice from one of the girls. Hazel seemed like the best person since Frank - her own boyfriend - was going to be involved in this thing as well. Very possibly, she would have some of the same feelings, but it didn't seem to bother her nearly as much. Of course, she was there for the whole secret meeting they had had yesterday, so maybe she'll be able to cast a little light on the situation for her. If that's all she could get from her, then she would still be somewhat appeased.

Walking the grounds of Camp Half-Blood, Calypso searched for the daughter of Pluto. On the way, she bumped into Nico di Angelo. He was walking along with Mrs. O' Leary trailing behind him.

He spotted her and offered a shy wave. "Hey, Calypso."

"Hi, Nico," she muttered. "I'm trying to find your sister. Do you know where she might be?"

Scratching the dog's huge head, he shrugged. "She might be at the stables. I heard her say she wanted to spend some time with the horses there. Why? Is something bugging you? You look upset."

She gave him a tired look. "Yes. I am. It's about Leo... again."

"Well, if you're looking for advice on Leo, I suggest maybe talking to Piper as well. She's known him the longest out of all of us."

"Yeah, I know, but Hazel kind of fits the category I'm thinking of better. She, too, has her boyfriend leaving on this whole quest while she's staying behind."

He nodded with more understanding. "So this is about the trip, huh?"

Calypso sighed. "Yup."

"Well, if you are in need of her opinion, she very well could be in the stables. If not, I'll keep an eye out for her on your behalf."

"Thanks, Nico," and she continued on her way.

Nearing the stables, even from a distance, she realized Nico was correct.

With a pitchfork in hand, Hazel was helping the Ares kids clean up the stalls, hauling hay from one side of the building to other where several wheel barrows lined by the doors. Her hair was pulled up in a loose bun to keep it out of the way while she worked and green rubber boots hugged her feet. It was odd seeing her wear an orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt under her jean jacket rather than the purple one she came here with. Guess it just felt right.

Calypso was happy she had horses to take care of while Frank was gone. There was comfort for her to spend time with the creatures she loved so much. Calypso, on the other hand, had the garden. As much as she enjoyed the work, it gave her way too much time to think, and when Leo was gone, all she would be able to think about was if he or the others were still okay.

Gods. Why did she have to fall in love with a demigod?

"Hazel," she interrupted. "Do you think you have a moment to talk?"

The Roman spun her head around with a smile. "Calypso! What's going on?"

She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms in a huff. "I need advice."

"From me? Really? What about?"

Calypso didn't really want to bring it up seeing how happy her friend seemed, but she knew she had to. "It's about Leo."

The smile fell from her face and she held the pitch fork beside her like a staff. "Uh, oh. Are you two okay? Is something going on between you two?"

"He's leaving, that's what's happening."

Hazel gave her a look and put her hand on her hip. "Calypso, you know he needs to. He didn't decide to go just for the fun of it. It's important."

"Really? Cause last time I checked, there wasn't even a hint of a threat out there. What are they even doing anyway? Why is everyone - including Leo - risking their lives for something that isn't even interfering with our own lives? There wasn't even a prophecy. The gods aren't in any danger, so what is this quest all about?"

She could see the hesitation on her friend's face. Hazel knew, but she wasn't telling. Clearly, that meeting held some serious secrecy behind it if she wasn't allowed to know why her own _boyfriend_ was ditching her for a suicide mission. That wasn't fair.

"Please, Hazel?" she begged. "I need to know. I'm already stressed out enough just thinking of him being gone."

With her own sigh, she turned back to her work and scooped up another fork-full of hay. "I'm sorry, Calypso. Really, I am. I just can't help you. There's way too much information to go through and they made me promise not to tell you anything."

"Why?! Leo's my boyfriend for Zeus's sake! Aren't you scared for Frank?! Their heading out on a suicide mission for who knows how long, while the both of us are left behind to worry! I think I have the right to know why they're leaving!"

"Stop, okay? Just stop. I _am_ worried about Frank, but... I have to believe things will turn out in the end. So should you. Heck, we all made it back after that whole Prophecy of Seven. Sure, Leo died, but he had a plan to come back. He _chose_ to die. Now that he has you in his life, I don't believe he would make such a decision without knowing 100% if he could come back for you."

Snorting, Calypso lowered her gaze. "At the moment, he doesn't seem to care about me. He's too busy with everything else."

"Calypso...!" Hazel paused for a moment with squinted eyes and a finger pointing at her. "... You don't have a last name, but if you did, I would use it! I'll have you know that he, himself, is pretty stressed out too! It just so happens that this quest is all about _his whole future_ so of _course_ his focus is elsewhere, but it doesn't mean he's not thinking about you in the process!"

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "His future? This quest is about his future? What do you mean?"

Flabbergasted, Calypso heard Hazel curse in Latin. "Never mind," she uttered. "Just... give the guy some slack, okay? He's been going through some really weird stuff lately."

This was another surprise for her. "What? For how long? Why hasn't he told me?! Ugh! That stupid son of a... Leo has always had such a bad habit of hiding things from people, including me! You'd think me being his girlfriend would mean I actually know what's going on with him! Honestly!"

With the stable all cleaned, Hazel gripped the wheelbarrow handles and lifted it, ready to dump it with all the rest of the used hay. "Calm down, Calypso. He's not, not telling you because he wants to hide anything from you. That's the last thing he would want to do, and knowing as little as I do about his personal lifestyle, even I can see that. He will tell you eventually, and if not, you'll find out on your own. Again, give the guy a break and don't force anything. It's just going to stress him out even more."

Calypso used her advice and took a breath. Counting to ten, she let it out and concentrated on collecting herself.

It was true that Leo didn't keep secrets to himself without opening up to her eventually. It took forever most times, but there were the odd moments when he pretty much told her outright. This was probably going to be the dragged out secret, but she guessed she'll have to give him time. She had to believe he'd tell her later down the road when he could. After all, she knew he was one to feel uncomfortable to spill anything involving his personal life. It took a month of them dating for her to learn about his mother and another two before she was told about his childhood afterwards.

Yeah. Hazel was right. She just needed to give him time.

"Feeling better?" Hazel asked her, a smile hinting at her lips.

With an upturn of her mouth, Calypso nodded. "I guess. Thanks."

"No problem. We all have our relationship struggles."

"So, I guess this means I'll have to wait until after the quest to know what's going on."

Hazel nodded sympathetically. "Sorry, but I promised. So did the others."

"I know."

From behind them, there was a sudden high-pitched winy from one of the horses in the stalls. Both girls turned to find Blackjack stopping his hooves and shaking his head. He paused, glanced at them, and started up again, this time flapping his wings.

"What's he doing?" Calypso asked slightly amused.

Hazel laughed. "I think he's having a temper tantrum. I haven't got to his stall yet and he's getting impatient."

"I didn't know horses did that."

"Well, _he_ does, anyway," she chuckled. "Tell you what: since you're here, you can take care of him while I go dump the used hay and I'll join you once I'm done."

Calypso smiled. "I didn't exactly come here to work, but since you sound so organized..."

"Thank you!" she declared as she made her way to the huge pile of manure.

* * *

It took a while to finish up in the stables. By the time they were done, the two of them had to take showers to get the smell of horses off of them. It was refreshing and much needed. After that, Hazel and Calypso spent the day helping out anywhere else that needed a couple of extra hands. She had to admit, it felt a lot better than sitting and moping about boyfriend troubles, that was for sure.

While in the middle of repainting the Big House's porch, they talked and made conversation, mostly about anything that could distract each other from the dangerous quest the others were heading out on. It was a lot warmer to work outside today which meant the paint dried slightly faster than normal. It also meant they could get to work on the second coat quicker.

Before this, the day was busy, filled with two hours worth of strawberry picking and training, and then an hour-and-a-half to do other odd jobs, but the time was well spent. In the time between it took to paint and clean the stables, Calypso found that the friendship bonding between them was strengthening. They never had much one-on-one time, mostly because they were both at different ends of the country for the better part of the year, but also because Hazel was always with Frank, or Calypso was with Leo. It was great getting to know Leo's friends on a personal level instead of feeling like she was stepping in. Now, after the time they had through chores, she could honestly say Hazel was her friend too. So were Piper, Jason, Rachel, Nico, Will, Annabeth and Percy. Frank was yet to be friendified, but that would have to wait until after the quest... however long that would take.

"Do you ever still get overwhelmed by the modern world?" she asked Hazel after a break in the conversation. "Or is it all finally sinking in?"

Hazel cringed on that one. "You know, sometimes I like to believe I'm getting the hang of it, but every once in a while, I'm surprised by new things."

"Like what?"

"Well," she though a moment. "Like television shows or fandoms, I think people call them. Really, it just makes my head hurt after a while. It just doesn't make any sense why people go so crazy over such things. And then there's also this whole gluten free thing going on, even if people aren't allergic. I never knew how many different ways you can make food and ways to get around it."

Calypso laughed. "I know. Leo goes on about how stupid that whole trend is. He says food is food and as long as it's good - you eat it. Really, though, I think that's just a guy thing."

"How about you?"

"What?"

"Fitting in," Hazel said while dipping her paintbrush in the can. Smearing the off-white paint onto the patchy, brown post, she looked at her. "You're even older than I am... uh, no offense."

"None taken. After all, I _was_ a goddess." Calypso wiped her brow with the back of her hand and continued her work. "No. I am still hopelessly lost. Okay, I'm not _that_ bad off, but still have a lot of work to do before I feel comfortable to walk the streets on my own. Leo and the others still have to constantly explain things to me. Honestly, I think they're getting tired of it," she chuckled.

"Well, at least you know the basics."

She snorted. "Nowadays, I don't think I even know what the basics are."

The two of them laughed.

Again, it was great getting to know Hazel better. At least she had someone with something in common. Neither of them were good in the modern world.

"Maybe it's a good thing we aren't mortal teens then. We'd be looked upon as dumbies."

Calypso made a face with a raised eyebrow. "If only we didn't have to risk our lives on a regular basis though..."

Hazel sighed. "Calypso, I thought we went over that -" she suddenly paused as her gaze traveled just over Calypso's shoulder. "Actually," she grinned while suddenly picking up her paint pale. "I think I'll go work on a different part of the porch."

"What? Why?" Calypso questioned with confusion. "You're not even done what you were doing."

"I know. I want to paint over here," she declared as she began to walk further down the deck, only she didn't stop and kept on moving to the very back.

"Where in the world are you planning to paint?" Calypso asked perplexed.

"Over here!" and her friend disappeared around the corner.

"What in the world...?"

There were suddenly a pare of arms wrapped around her abdomen, tugging her into a hug from behind.

She jumped and spun around with a squeak of surprise. Following that, was a short-lived curse from a voice behind her.

Standing there with her, was a male Latino teenager with dark curly hair, pointed ears, chin, and nose, deep brown eyes, and his face streaked with a thick line of white paint.

Despite her shocked state, she burst out into laughter at the not-so-pleased look from her boyfriend and glanced at the paintbrush still in her hand. Guess now she knew why his curse was short lived. She literally shut him up with the thing.

"Oh my gods! I'm so sorry!" she giggled. "You surprised me!"

Leo, on the other hand, was still frozen in the same stance he was in when she had swiped her paintbrush across his face with his arms still slightly spread, his posture defensive, and his glare... Oh boy. He just stood there with a highly annoyed/bored expression.

"Seriously?" he murmured while wiping the paint off his face as well as he could with his hands. "You know," - he spat paint out of his mouth - "I think I'm going to stop making contact with you. Every time"- spit - "I try to be nice and surprise you, you always attack me."

"I didn't mean to!" she defended herself. "You just chose the wrong moment!"

"Yeah. I guess they're all the wrong moments then."

She chuckled. "Really, I didn't mean it!"

He smirked. "You're lucky I love you enough to believe that."

As the two stood there for a few seconds, she felt her smile fade. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for this quest?"

"Yeah," he muttered still wiping paint off his face. "There are a few other things I still need to take care of before I leave, but they can wait. I kinda wanted to, you know... hang out. I've been feeling bad that I may have made you feel left out or something. Everything's just so... chaotic it feels like. There hasn't even been any time to catch up at the forge the way I've wanted to."

"Really?"she asked feeling bad about her previous complaints about him.

Leo stared at his hands, both covered in wet paint. Grabbing a fresh cloth from the painting supplies on the deck, he cleaned his hands. Then he look up at her again. "Yup. But now that I have some time to breathe, I thought it was an appropriate time to apologize."

Calypso smiled weakly. "There really isn't anything to apologize for Leo."

"Uh, yeah there is. You were mad at me."

"How would you know?"

He gave her a look. "Cal, you were murdering your tomatoes at lunch. Unless you eat like that on a regular basis, anyone could see you were upset."

"You saw that?"

"Were you aware of how venomous your face was?" he asked her. "Ares kids would inch for the door."

Calypso offered a small smile. "Fine. I was a little upset."

"A little?"

"Okay, a lot upset, but..." She huffed. "Leo, how would you expect me to feel when I find out last minute that you and a group of others randomly decide to risk your lives on yet another quest without so much as a warning? I mean, even though I don't know what this thing is all about, I know enough to realize how dangerous it is."

"Don't worry, Cal. We'll be back before you know it."

"But what if you don't? Leo, this isn't a regular quest. You guys will be purposely attracting monsters. How am I supposed to live with myself knowing that you may never make it back home?"

Leo's expression softened. Gently holding her face in his hands, he pressed his lips to her forehead before resting his own forehead against hers. " _Todo saldrá bien, sol._ _ _Eres mi ancla_. No dejaré que nada me impida regresar a ti. Lo prometo_ (Everything will work out, sunshine. You're my anchor. I won't let anything stop me from coming back to you. I promise.)"

She couldn't help but smile. "I'm holding you to that."

"Glad to hear it," he whispered and brought his face in closer to kiss her on the lips.

Calypso wrapped her arms around his neck and savored the taste of his soft lips.

It felt amazing to feel his warmth, his security, his kindness towards her. Sometimes it baffled her how this joker-of-a-boy was so tender and loving on the inside. After all, her first impressions of him were far from positive. He had had a rude mouth, was annoying as heck, and 100% intolerable. He still had the potential in him, however, now that she was in a relationship with him, she saw the many things hidden underneath, and finding what she did, made her fall all the more in love with him. He was such a loving and amazing person to be around, and not only for his numerous jokes or teasing. It was sad no one else knew how truly caring and selfless he really can be.

Eventually, they parted and stood for a few seconds, enjoying each other's presence. Leo's rough fingers were playing with strands of her hair. Calypso simply stood and stared him intently in the eyes. If he really was to come back to her, she hoped it would be soon. If he didn't... well, she didn't want to think about it. She wouldn't be able to think back to moments like these without falling apart.

"So," Calypso finally whispered. "You're heading to Canada again?"

"Yup," he said. "Good Ol' Canada where people get drunk on maple syrup and ride moose while cheering for their favorite hockey teams."

Her eyes grew wide. "They ride moose and get drunk on syrup?"

He burst out laughing and kissed her once more. "You are too adorable. I should take you up there sometime - show you the mountain ranges and the vast prairies. You'd love it."

"Then you have to come back to me alive or that offer is as good as gone."

"You bet. And I'm sure you'll enjoy the igloos."

"Igloos?"

"Yeah!" Leo grinned impishly. "They're little houses made of snow that people live in. You just have to be careful for the abominable snowman that come wandering into their yards. Bigfoot too."

"W-what do you mean?" she asked with hesitant curiosity. "What is abominable snow people? Do they have big feet?"

Again, he laughed, which made Calypso a little upset. She hated not knowing.

"You're a lot of fun, you know that?"

Suddenly, the dinner bell rang from the dining pavilion, calling all everyone for supper, and the two of them turned to see one of the campers yanking on the rope by the pavilion doors.

"I guess we should probably catch supper, huh?" Leo said.

"Guess so. Oh, but first," she said while grabbing a rag from her back pocket. "You should probably clean your face. There's paint on it."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Yes. Of course. Like you had nothing to do with it."

With a chuckle, Calypso brought the rag to his face and cleaned it. "There. Now you look somewhat presentable."

"Somewhat?"

"Yeah, but there really isn't much else I can do about the rest of your face. You'd have to get a doctor to look at that."

Leo's eyes grew large. "Hey! It just so happens that I am _very_ hansom!"

"Says who? The boy in the mirror?"

Before he could make another comment, Calypso quickly ran past him and headed for the dining pavilion.

* * *

 **Yay! You got some Caleo and also some Hazel/Calypso friendship going on there! :)  
**

 **Also, as a reminder, I have a _poll question!_ Please _vote _and let me know which story I should write next! (reviews would be great too, by the way...)**

 **So, check out my poll question on my profile page and wait for more updates!**

 **~supworld~**


	15. Chapter 15

**I LIVE!**

 **Yes, I do, and I know it was horrible how long I took on this guys, but really, Christmas is a really hectic time of year for everyone *cough, cough* and sickness doesn't help *cough, cough*. I love it all the same though! ^_^ How was your guys' Christmas? I hope splended! Oh, and Happy New Year too! 2018! *0*  
**

 **I have a poll question on my profile page, peoples! Be sure to check it out and vote for which story I should write next! I'm super excited to start one, but I will warn you, _I will be taking it down at the end of January_ , so hurry and vote while you can! I need help choosing! Like really! Help! DX Thank you so much if you already have voted! You da best!  
**

 **Reviews:**

goldkies: **Hey, did you change your pen name? Cool. :) Very true, my friend! I'm actually a fellow Canadian so I know all about that! Personally, though, I don't really care for maple syrup itself, but as a flavour, I** **am** **totally in love with it. Gotta love that maple walnut ice cream! And now that you brought the whole dog vs cat thing up, I must ask you, my dear Canadian fanfictioner, even though it could very well start a war: which side are you on? (Dogs are evil by the way. Except when they're not. Like when they actually learn to leave a person alone. Or when they realize they don't have to bark at every moving thing outside the window. Or simply learn that jumping up on people smaller than them is actually quite terrifying for the person. See, I'm a small human being... D'X #dogproblems) Cats for the win! XD  
**

Guest: **Yay! You checked my poll out! Even though I only had three people officially post their vote on the actual poll question, I'm getting reviews and stuff with votes that way. I'm going to have to manually tally them up I think! Thank you so much for giving me your votes though! I'll add both of them to my list! And sorry 'bout the Spanish in there. I kind of figured it would end up like that, but went along with it anyway. I knew Leo speaks Spanish and wanted to put it in every once in a while. If you still find it sickeningly sweet, I'll try to cut a bit out if you want, but I can't promise anything. I'll see how it goes. ;)**

 **You all have been waiting long enough, so hear is my next chapter!**

 **Sorry for any ill-used spelling, grammar, or Spanish terms.**

 **SHOUT OUT!  
You guys should know by now who I do and do not own. I think I'm going to quit putting this up. Like seriously, I'm being legit.**

* * *

 **~Frank's POV~**

The packing process was always Frank's least favorite part. He sucked at it. A great example was last year when they set out on the Prophecy of Seven. Of course, they were in a rush, but even then, he couldn't think logically. Because of that, he ran out of specific pieces of clothing and it really didn't help when a certain short Hispanic literally tossed his dirty laundry off the ship. He had to buy a few new pairs of jeans and a sweater thanks to him.

Anyway, at the moment, he was in a bind. Naturally, because he was only visiting Camp Half-Blood, he didn't have all his things with him and he already noticed he had forgotten things he had originally planned on taking to camp. Now to deal with packing to leave on another quest with half his clothing, he'd have to divide his things extra thoughtfully, and the gods only knew how difficult it was for him to do that. There was a thought he had about just taking everything with him, but it would become bulky and hard to fight with. Who fought with a huge suitcase? He guessed it wouldn't be that bad if he swung it around like a giant weight, but he wasn't about to lug that thing around with him for who knows how long.

With a sigh, he decided to add another shirt to his shirt pile, making it add up to five. There really wasn't much need for more, was there? Maybe? Ugh. See? He was indecisive and completely hopeless. And you'd think a demigod would know how to pack for a quest...

He pointed to each pile on the bed in front of him one at a time. "Five shirts, two... no... three pairs of jeans, and one pair of sweat pants. Three pairs of socks, two pairs of shoes including the ones on my feet, energy bars, and a full pack of boxers... Do I need a sweater? Two sweaters? A jacket? Ambrosia is a good idea too," he muttered to himself, the idea suddenly popping into his head. "Yeah. I'll see if I can get that."

"You're funny when you pack," Marie smirked while eating a chocolate bar on her bed.

"What do you mean?" Frank asked with a hint of defensiveness.

She swung her feet like a child over the edge. "You don't really know how to make up your mind, do you? I've watched you change that whole layout six times now. Is this what you're like every time you leave to go somewhere?"

"No," he grumbled knowing it was in fact a lie.

Marie laughed, seeing right through him. "Look, I can help if you want. I'm used to watching everyone here set out on quests and I've gone on my own a few times. You don't really need to make this as complicated as you think you do."

Frank glanced at the mess in front of him and mentally winced. If it was even possible with the little amount of clothes he packed, he had managed to make it look like a closet threw up all over his sleeping quarters. Actually, ignore that analogy. That's disgusting.

Almost guiltily, he smiled, excepting her proposal. "Thanks, Marie."

"No prob, North Pole."

"I'm from Canada, not the North Pole," he muttered under his breath as she jumped off her bed and began re-organizing his sloppy piles.

"First of all," she began, folding the T-shirts on their solitary mound. "You have to make sure you have enough room in your backpack. Basically, if you want to pack a bunch of clothing in a smaller space, you roll them up tight like so," and she demonstrated with one of the shirts. "This way, you can pack a bunch of things without taking up your whole backpack. Now, you can work fine with what you've already got out here so don't stress. Two things to point out though: You should think about packing for both cold and warm weather. A single pair of shorts can work, and maybe a heavy sweatshirt is all you need for cooler days. After all, it's not exactly winter anymore. And if you're still not satisfied, Frank, I will point out you can also just buy what you need while on the road. It's really not hard."

"So, what I have is good?" he asked with a slight hint of pride.

"Sure. Really, there isn't a wrong way to pack though. Just try to think about the more practical things and what you know you're going to use."

"You know a lot about packing," he said scratching his head.

She shrugged her shoulders and sat back on her bed. "I've watched people pack up and leave most my life. Kinda got used to it."

"Mmm..." he nodded. This was getting a little personal. "So, I'll pack a pair of shorts and a sweater and I'm off."

"Yup."

They talked a bit more as he continued to fold his clothing. He was glad he had her help, otherwise, Frank feared he would still be stuck trying to make a decision. He also didn't mind admitting he was feeling rather confident with the way everything looked in his bag. That didn't happen often.

Finally, he zipped it all up and nodded to his half sister. "I'm ready to go."

"Looks like it," Marie nodded back. "Off you go and good luck to you, brother." She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Stay safe."

* * *

Frank was on his way back from the Infirmary with a loaf-sized hunk of ambrosia and a jug of nectar. It was kind of ridiculous the amount of godly food Will gave him to take along, but Will insisted it. He'd told him if they weren't sure how long they were going to be gone, it was best to take more than they needed just in case. The argument was justifiable enough so Frank agreed to it. Not that it was an argument or that he didn't want to take it, but you get the picture.

Stomping up the porch stairs, he entered the Big House where the parting group confirmed as the meeting point just before they left. He immediately felt bad when he realized he was the last to arrive.

Sophia stood with her sister, both in shorts and T-shirts, Sophia's black, Olivia's blue. Liam had a sword strapped around his waist just like his sisters over top his grey cargo pants and dark, green, long-sleeved shirt. Seeing a sword carried at his side would usually be a dangerous sight to behold when you knew he was autistic, however, he was trained and actually pretty decent with the weapon. A little sloppy, but the guy was twelve.

Jason and Piper stood side-by-side, their own backpacks in their arms. Jason looked confident and sturdy, standing with a straight posture and square shoulders. Frank could only dream of looking that solid despite his actual towering build. Jason had the natural leader role written all over him.

Alongside her boyfriend, Piper had a slightly more anxious stance but tried to build courage around it. It was odd seeing her in a ponytail, but it actually fit her pretty well. She wore a light lavender razer back with a pair of skinny jeans and white sneakers.

Last but not least, was Leo with (surprise, surprise) Milo in his arms. He wore a V-necked grey shirt with shorts and then the famous magic tool belt strapped around his waist. The backpack he wore was slightly smaller than the others' because of his bottomless belt. Frank was a little jealous of the thing right now. It would make packing so much easier.

Surrounding them all, was Chiron, Annabeth, Percy, Rachel, Austin, Nico, Hazel, and Calypso, all ready to say their goodbyes. From the looks of it, Calypso was on the verge of tears and fought hard to hide them. Clearly, in order for Frank to notice it though, she wasn't succeeding.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "I had to stop off at the Infirmary to grab some ambrosia."

"Holy Hephaestus!" Leo declared with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "Did you ever! What did you do? Rob the place blind? If you ask me, we're set to go for a few years!"

"It was Will's idea."

"It's a good idea," Annabeth nodded. "After all, who knows how long this quest will take or how many monsters you'll come across."

"From the sounds of it, a lot," Jason added. "Thanks, Frank. Along with our own stashes, it will probably take a few dozen monsters to actually effect us."

"No problem," he grinned. "Hopefully we won't have to use it."

"Amen, brother," Leo stated from the side.

As Frank began struggling to fit the new items into his bag, he heard Rachel ask, "So, do you know where in Canada you're going to start? Canada's a pretty big country."

"We settled for Quebec. It's the closest province to where we are at present," Sophia rationalized. "We'll move west from there unless something catches our attention towards the east. I don't believe they would be positioned so close to either camps, so, when in doubt, start with between."

Leo snorted and adjusted Milo in his arms, who in turn gript tighter onto his shirt. "That's a hella lot of in between."

"I know, but the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll come back."

"You hope," Percy muttered from the side. "Really, guys. Are you sure you are all okay to do this all on foot? It took a huge warship last time and even that took forever."

Sophia shrugged. "That's true, though we will only be roaming one country, not anything across the ocean. It would be nice to have something to travel on, but it's too last second. We go on foot."

"Okay, so we all made our plans then," Annabeth declared. "You will be going on foot, and while you guys are traveling, Milo will be staying back with us. And... er... are you guys certain Liam can handle this big quest?"

Olivia put a hand on his shoulder. "I think so. In fact, he's probably our biggest asset on our whole team. Without him, there's a good chance we would take an even longer amount of time."

"How so?" the daughter of Athena question puzzled.

"He's autistic," she answered plainly as if that was reason enough. "We don't know how he's able to do it, but he can sense monsters from short distances away."

"Whoa!" Leo laughed. "Seriously? How come you didn't tell us any sooner! Dude! That's frickin' awesome!"

"Daddy said a bad word again!" Milo tattled with a finger poking Leo's chin.

Leo rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Oh for... No I didn't, Milo!"

Piper practically slapped herself. "That should have been obvious to me! He was the one that pointed out that your guys' house was being surrounded. This is great! We already have an advantage!"

"Doesn't mean we're invincible," Frank added. "But I will say, that makes me a lot happier."

"Same," Jason nodded crossing his arms across his sky-blue T-shirt.

From the side, Chiron rolled his wheelchair forward slightly in order to get everyone's attention. "Alright, so if everything is in order, I suggest you get a move on before the day ends. Argus will drive you into the city and it's on your own from that point on."

"Right," Sophia sighed and shouldered her backpack, followed by the others. Frank's was rather heavy with the extra ambrosia and nectar, but it was bearable. He just hoped it wouldn't cause a problem later on.

Leo set Milo down and began adjusting his pack's straps. "You know, I think this is the first quest in history that doesn't have a time limit. Refreshing, huh?"

The rest of them smiled and nodded.

Piper laughed weakly. "About time. The only time limit we have is far in the future."

Sophia made a face. "Actually, because they're training, each day is a time limit. We don't know how much they know at the moment. It's best to hurry before they become even more advanced."

"Touche."

There was a pause in the room, signalling the perfect time to address everyone and make their goodbyes.

"So..." Jason muttered. "I guess this is where we say goodbye before we head off."

Hazel took action and was the first to hug him. "If it is, I'll be the first. See you, guys. Have safe travels and may the gods protect you all."

"Thanks."

After that, it was like a domino effect. The whole group began hugging and shaking hands, smiling and shedding a few tears. It was a morbid thought, yes, but it could be possible that they may not all have the chance to come back to camp. They were lucky enough with the Prophecy of Seven, with the exception of Leo, but he came back. They didn't have the Physicians Cure this time, but Frank honestly hoped with the amount of ambrosia and nectar they had, they would be fine. This was by far, one of the most dangerous expeditions any of them had set out to do. Not only were they attempting to take down a specific group of monsters, but also purposely attracting others in order to find this specific group. Never in his life did he think he would agree do attend such a crazy quest.

After giving Percy and Annabeth each a hug, Frank looked around the group to find Hazel hugging Olivia. It really did pain him to have to leave her behind. It would be his very first expedition without her. He wasn't sure how she was handling knowing he was heading out, but it looked as though she was trying her best to accept it and think positively.

That's why he loved her so much. She always looked for the good, no matter what the situation was.

Leo shook hands with Chiron and when he finished, he looked back at the group and asked, "Yo, Chiron? Do you think you'd allow some of us to make a few private goodbyes before we leave? It will be short, I promise."

"Yeah," Frank spoke up, sneaking a glance at his girlfriend. "Me too."

Knowing the reason for this question, the centaur nodded with a small smile. "Of course. As long as you don't keep Argus waiting too long though."

"We won't. Thanks, Chiron," Leo grinned and took Calypso's hand and left the room.

* * *

 **~Leo's POV~  
**

Leo took her to the edge of the woods where the birds sung, their songs soothing for this depressing scene. Large shadows were cast down, blanketing the world beneath in a layer of refreshing shade. It wasn't far in enough to worry about being attacked by monsters, but just enough to hide the everyday noise of camp.

Calypso was already sniffling by the time they got to where he wanted to go. So, once they were out of sight, he stopped and faced her, immediately pulling her into a comforting embrace. As soon as he did, she let herself bury her face into his shoulder and wept. He held onto her and rubbed her back, trying his best to provide as much support as he could for her.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid, Leo," she murmured into his shirt.

Despite the situation, he let out a smirk and kissed the side of her head. "Don't worry, sunshine. I don't do that. That's Percy's job."

"Yes you do. You landed on my island, you say weird things, you try stupid stunts, and you chose to leave on this quest."

"Well, hey, you can't blame me. It's just the fate of the gods I landed on Ogygia and this quest is important on so many different levels. I didn't really have a choice if you really think about it."

She pushed away from him just enough to look up at him. "Why? What makes this quest so different from the rest? I never get an answer."

"Babe, listen to me. I'll make you a deal. You learn to accept that I need to go, and when - yes, _when_ \- I get back, I'll tell you why I had to leave. _¿Bueno?_ (okay)"

It took her a while, but she slowly nodded in agreement before resting her head back on his shoulder. "Alright. I can settle for that at least."

Leo laid his head against hers and breathed in her cinnamon-scented hair, his hand tracing circles on her back. He could feel wet drops falling onto his shirt again and tightened the hug.

It kind of surprised him how much this was affecting Calypso. She normally wasn't so emotional about him leaving to go somewhere and she definitely wasn't a clingy person. Maybe she could feel the tension in the air or sense how important this quest was. She's been mad at him for an entire day yesterday (which was actually pretty normal. No surprises there) and now crying on his shoulder today. To clam her down, he had almost caved in and told her everything from the very beginning. It would certainly change her viewpoint on this whole thing after knowing he was supposedly dead in his kids' future along with one of his future sons. Course, he didn't really want to be dead either, but he held his tongue knowing the amount of worry that would create on top of the whole "what if he doesn't come back" dilemma. The gods only knew how much he hated leaving and causing her so much worry even without telling her, but he knew he couldn't. Maybe once they get married, he'll tell the insane truth, but not now. He'll have to find a way to keep some stuff out once he gets back to her.

A short while later, Calypso lifted her head up again. "You know, I think I would feel a lot better if you had Festus with you."

"Stop worrying, sunshine," he chuckled, holding her face in his hands. "I'll be _fine_. I promise. I'm coming back to you no matter what. Have I ever broken that promise before? Hmm?"

By the look on her face, she didn't seem convinced.

"Come on, sunshine," he moaned. "Smile, won't ya? Don't let a frown be the last thing I see on your pretty face all the way until I get back."

Hearing that, she pressed her lips together in defeat and managed a weak smile.

"You can do better than that," he cheered on. "Come on. You can do it. Don't make me force it out."

A small chuckle escaped her lips and an honest grin came to her. "Okay, fine. Happy?" she asked looking into his eyes, and he froze.

It was like a cold hand slapped him across the face, making him all of a sudden take a moment to really admire how beautiful his girlfriend was. She had the softest most delicate skin, the silkiest hair, amazing plump lips, and that one freckle in that perfect solitary spot. And to think... he was staring at his future wife. Damn! He actually got to marry this gorgeous gal! How lucky could a person get?

With his own smile, he traced his fingers tenderly along her jawline. "Ecstatically happy," he said in a low tone and kissed her on the lips ever so gently.

Naturally, she responded.

As they stood there for a little while, the kiss deepened into something they rarely ever did. It made their breathing become a little quicker and their hearts beating a tad faster. The sweetness of her lips grew stronger and he tried his best to savor them. When they finally parted, it left them wanting more, but knowing the others were waiting for them, Leo was the the one to end it.

"I have to go, Calypso. They're going to start thinking I ran off with you," he panted with a smirk.

She pouted for a split second before nodded and taking a step back. "Alright. I guess I can't keep you here any longer, can I?"

"Not unless you want us both getting in trouble with Chiron and the others."

"No thanks."

He grabbed her hand and began leading her out of the woods, and he had to say, it was rather humorous to find Frank and Hazel sharing their own kiss not too far from where they shared theirs.

* * *

 **~Frank's POV~  
**

They parted from their kiss and smiled at each other, the ghost of her lips still tingling his own.

Hazel's eyes shone like jewels the way they always do, making her ten times more beautiful.

"We'll make sure to come back as soon as we kill them. We won't be gone for long," Frank continued to assure her, though he was starting to believe after all this time, it was him he was truly trying to convince. "Are you sure you want to stay here at Camp Half-Blood until we get back?"

"Yes, Frank, I'm sure," she told him. "Not only do I hate thinking of the idea of heading back on my own, but I think Calypso needs a friend around to keep her company. We'll be fine. It's you guys I'm worried about. You stay safe, okay?"

"Okay," he answered and kissed her forehead. "We should probably head back though, don't you think?"

Taking his hand in hers, she squeezed it and nodded. "I suppose so."

* * *

When they reached the van, Argus was tapping his foot on the ground with arms crossed, his multiple eyes seeming to hold a rather bored expression. He was probably waiting for quite a while, and once again, Frank and Hazel were the last to get there, though Leo and Calypso came close to tying with them.

Seeing how everyone was finally gathered - even Percy, Annabeth, Milo, and Chiron - Argus nodded and slid the van door open, waiting from them to all climb in. Piper and Jason both threw their backpacks in just like Sophia and Olivia had. They threw Liam's in after theirs and made room for Frank and Leo's bags.

Once everything was packed up, they all faced each other again and there was another round of hugs from everyone.

"Stay safe you guys," Percy told them. "When you get back, you'll have to tell us all about this whole thing. We need to hear about how you all took this army of beasts down."

"Just leave it to super-sized Mcshizzle here to save the day," Leo grinned pointing his thumbs at his chest.

Calypso rolled her eyes and hid her smirk. She was looking a lot better than she was before. Frank was glad.

"Good luck," Annabeth said. "And don't forget about Iris messaging us every once in a while to keep us updated."

"We won't," Piper nodded.

Sophia then stepped forward. "Alright, it's time to go. Everyone in the van."

They all nodded and began climbing into the vehicle one at a time. However, when it came to Sophia, Milo reached out and grabbed onto his eldest sister.

"Where are you going?" he asked with confusion. "I wanna come!"

"No, Milo," she insisted. "I'm sorry. You can't come with us. You're not old enough."

"Why?" he whined, looking up at her with big brown eyes. "I wanna come! Why are you leaving?"

Sophia knelt down so she was eye-level with him. "We have to go because we need to do something very important. The others will be here with you. Don't worry."

The little guy started to stomp his feet and whine even more. "I don't want to stay here! I want to come with you and Daddy!"

"Milo, please," she begged him, stealing a glance at the others watching this sudden scene. "Can you be a good boy for me? We're coming back in a few days. You won't be on your own forever."

Milo's cries only grew, tears spilling over. "Sophie! I wanna go! I don't want to stay here! I want to come!"

Frank watched as Leo slowly stepped out of the van, an expression of concern on his face. He held onto the handle on the door, almost trying to keep himself planted where he was, but there was obvious mental resistance on his part. It was clear he didn't like seeing the little guy so upset.

"Look at me," Sophia told her brother in a soothing tone. "We're coming back. You can see us again, okay? We're coming back for you. Don't cry, _hermanito_ (little brother)." Kissing him on the forehead, she stood up. "Goodbye, Milo."

As she began walking away, Milo's cries turned into full out sobbing. He squealed in a high pitch and ran up to her, pulling on her shirt as big elephant tears fell down his cheeks. "Don't go, Sophia! I don't want you to go! Don't go! Sophia! Don't go!"

Leo took another step away from the van. His eyes didn't once leave the toddler, as if his stares could fix the problem.

"Milo, I need to go! Let go!" his sister said. "Please, Milo! Stop pulling my shirt!"

"I d-don't want you to g-go!" he sobbed. "I don't w-want you or D-Daddy to go!"

At that time, Calypso came forward and helped pry the little boy's fingers off of Sophia so she was able to leave with the others. Although he was still bawling, Calypso knelt down at his side and held onto him, trying her best to sooth him.

Sophia, on the other hand, took this chance of escape to calmly walk towards the van. Seeing how he was still standing there with no sign of moving, she gently urged Leo to turn around and climb into the van with her. He did so reluctantly, but not without glances over his shoulder at the sobbing child who continuously cried out for him or Sophia.

Frank followed after, feeling sorry for Milo himself. How old was he? Four? He was so young and didn't understand what was going on. Heck, he didn't even know where he was let alone what year he was in. All he knew was that everyone was leaving him with a bunch of strangers and/or people he wasn't comfortable to be around without his siblings. Frank honestly wanted to help him, but with Calypso already trying her best to talk to him calmly and hugging onto his side, there really wasn't much else a person could do. Poor little guy.

The van door was shut and the engine started. All eyes were glued to the depressing departure scene outside where Milo was attempting to run out of Calypso's grasp. Slowly, as they began to pull away, Percy, Annabeth, Chiron, and Calypso waved at them in a mild manner and watched as they drove off to start their long and dangerous voyage.

* * *

 **Now that was a bit sad, was it not? Sorry guys for making their departure more depressing than what we are all used to, but a four-year-old kid would probably hate being left alone. And because we do have one of the kids staying back at camp, I will try my best to check up on little Milo and the others every once in a while, so don't worry. There will still be more Milo to come. :)  
**

 **Again, the end of January will be the time I take my poll down. Vote while you can!**

 **Thank you so much for reading and I look forward to your guys' reviews!**

 **Peace out,**

 **~supworld~**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm gonna jump the gun and go right into reviews (after taking over a full month to update. So sorry guys! DX)  
**

goldkies: **It's slightly depressing, I know, but knowing the situation, it was inevitable. And yes! I added Frank's POV! Like you said, many people forget about him and I felt he needed a little lovin'. Because he is a part of the expedition, I hope to make his view pop up throughout the story as much as I can fit it in. He's honestly one of my favorite characters (but who am I kidding? I love most of them anyway. Leo is just slightly higher than the rest). And there is such a thing as maple _walnut_ ice cream. Not maple syrup. XD Maple syrup ice cream would be insanely sweet. *x*. Oh, and good choice. Cats really are better. ;P**

7halfbloods: **You know when you just gotta make something depressing? Ever get that urge? Yeah. It happens to me sometimes and those are the moments when I feel I truly understand Rick's enjoyment. I got the power! You know? It's just too easy! Authors embrace every moment they have the opportunity to make their readers cry. It's fantastic! :D** **  
**

 **Okay, that's it for reviews, so I'm gonna continue this thing. Here we go... (Also, short announcement. I took my poll down. So sorry for not telling you any sooner. I forgot about it. My new story is posted though. :) I'll share which story won at the end of this chapter!)**

* * *

 **~Olivia's POV~  
**

Their ride to the city was in silence. No one talked, no one even whispered. Every single one of them felt terrible for leaving Milo back in that horrible state, but there was nothing they could do. His tears will subside and the anger or hurt will eventually ware off, but it was still hard not to feel so much guilt for the poor little guy. Sophia, as the eldest and natural leader of their group of siblings, was taking it the hardest as usual, but she tried not to make it show.

Conversation began to pick up a little more once they got into the city, but they were mostly about where the Greyhound station was and what their plan was from there. At the moment, the idea was to travel up to the small town of Champlain, NY by bus and then jump off just before crossing the boarder. From there, they would find a decoy route off-road in order to sneak past without causing suspicion as to why a large group of teenagers were traveling into Canada without any passports. Of course, because he had had a pretty rough background as a runaway, this was all Dad's idea and it made the most sense. He seemed pretty proud of his "ingenious" plan too and they all felt the need to humor him.

At the moment, they were all waiting at the station, watching for their bus to come in. It didn't seem like there were many people heading the direction they were, which was a huge relief for Olivia. After her last experience on a bus, she had had to sit beside a smelly old guy who insisted on eating a full bag of dill pickle chips. She shivered. Just the thought of those crumbs getting stuck in his thick, unruly, white beard and his black teeth... it was disgusting, possibly a memory that had scarred her for life. And, of course, because they were cruel and heartless, Sophia and _Papi_ only teased her non-stop about it until... well, until recently.

"I'm hungry," Liam complained from beside her on the hard seats. "I want to eat."

She looked around the building and spotted a vending machine right beside a small pathetic-looking arcade where a few kids played. "Want something from there?"

He nodded.

"Alright," she smiled kindly and led him by the hand. Standing in front of the machine, she dug her hand in her pocket and retrieved a handful of loose coins. "What do you want?"

His eyes scanned the selection. There was a large spread for him to choose from. Olivia was afraid they were going to miss the bus by the time he finally chose though. Liam was overly indecisive to the point where she wanted to pull her hair in frustration.

He placed both his hands on the vending machine and stared inside, mumbling to himself at what he saw and eventually pointing his finger at each one of the items inside.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" she complained. "How about you just get a bag of those chips. They're all dressed. You'll like them."

Surprisingly, he nodded in agreement. "Okay."

Digging in the handful of change she held in her hand, she fished out the appropriate amount of money to put into the machine. Liam clapped and pulled his chips out the second they fell.

"Open it! Open it for me!" he begged, shaking the contents inside like a maraca.

"Okay, okay, just a sec," she told him as she was busy stuffing her money back inside her pocket. Once she helped him with his chip bag, the two of them sat back down with their group all occupying a good number of seats.

None of them looked very cheery. Aunt Piper and Uncle Jason were talking quietly between the two of them, Dad was fingering the zipper of his backpack with anticipation, and Uncle Frank was having a very brief and unimportant-looking conversation with Sophia. Olivia couldn't blame them. This whole quest had begun to feel like an idea far in the future; a dream. Now, all of a sudden, it's a reality and everything was happening right at this moment whether they were ready for it or not.

Olivia wasn't feeling very confident with the outcome of her training despite having more than a week to brush up. Gods, she felt rusty. What if she couldn't prove herself worthy enough to be a part of this journey? What if none of her siblings were? Truth be told - and neither she nor Sophia had said anything about it - but... they have never actually been on a quest before. This was their very first and it was scaring her to death. She had no idea if she was going to be strong enough to act as an essential member to their gang. One of her biggest fears was that she was going to end up holding the whole team back during the most important and life-threatening moments in their quest. Heck, she even found Liam to be stronger than her. Just look back to her and Sophia's race on the firewall. Sophia was stronger and more agile than Olivia could ever be, and she wasn't only comparing it to that one time. Ever since they first started attending camp, she struggled to beat her in that stupid firewall, not once succeeding. Other activities they competed in together held the same story. Sword fighting was one of the very few things she was better at than her sister, though even that wasn't saying much. Sophia was still a beast with a sword.

Aside from actual combat skills, Olivia still struggled with self-confidence. Because of her parentage, she had received the gift (or curse depending on how you saw it) of fire immunity from her dad and a strong voice from her mother. Sophia, however, received the gift of magic from Mom and mechanical skills from Dad. You might say both are equally powerful in each their own way, however, Olivia knew the differences in their strengths. While she could combust into flames, Sophia could control the winds in any way she bid them to do, somewhat like telekinesis.

Now compare the two for a minute. How strong do you think a person with the ability to summon fire would be compared to someone who could fly or throw objects weighing tons by merely commanding the winds to do as it's told? She didn't know about anyone else, but Olivia felt as if she had been cheated by her own parents.

 _Now, wait a second_ , you say. _It's not their fault for not making you all strong and invincible. Why make them out like they could choose which child got what?_

She knows it sounds horrible and completely selfish for her to think this way especially knowing it isn't true, but there are moments when she honestly feels as if it was at least _someones_ fault. For once, she just wanted to feel comfortable in her own skin the way her sister usually did. Sure, she gained respect at school for singing at the talent show, but what good was that anymore? A beautiful voice wouldn't save anyone during a fight and her battle skills definitely needed more work. The only thing she considers to be her saving grace would probably be the fact that she isn't the eldest. If she was in her sister's shoes, she didn't know she would be able to handle the responsibility of setting an example for her fellow siblings or taking control of a tough situation. At the same time though, she didn't like pushing everything onto Sophia because she was already dealing with so much, not including the fact that _she_ was the one leading this huge quest.

And then Milo had to go and make things harder for her. It wasn't his fault, but everything seemed to be weighing her shoulders down, problem after problem after problem. It was visible how exhausting this was on her. Even when she rested, Sophia slouched in her seat, the bags under her eyes growing more evident every day. And to think, she was only 14, one year older than Olivia...

 _Hephaestus,_ Olivia found herself mentally praying to her grandfather. _I don't know what I can do for her, but if there is a possibility to take some of the burden off my sister's shoulders, it would be much appreciated if you could find a way to do so for me. She's starting to break down and it's hard seeing her like this. You're the one who sent us, so I want to trust that you can help with this in some way. I know the gods are not supposed to get involved in our lives, but if this is the one thing I can ask of you, this is it. Help my sister._

All of a sudden, Olivia heard Liam start whining.

Breaking out of her trance-like behavior, she turned to see what the matter was. Liam was holding his empty chip bag in one hand while the other was trying to wipe a landslide of crumbs off his deep green shirt. This made her laugh despite her former thoughts.

Helping him brush the mess off, she noticed the others getting up, slinging their backpacks around their shoulders.

"What?" she asked. "Are we leaving?"

Uncle Jason nodded. "Our bus just pulled up. Didn't you hear the announcement over the intercom?"

"No."

"Well you better collect your things. They're boarding."

After slinging her own bag on her back, she grabbed Liam's hand and followed the group.

This was it. They were leaving Manhattan and everything familiar to her. From this point on, she was going to experience a chapter in her life that would offer her probably the most memorable moments in her whole life, for better or for worse. Again, she just hoped she was strong enough to handle it.

Compared to the crowds from other Greyhound buses that had either made their way to or off their buses, the group Olivia and her companions were in, was minuscule. A few families or single middle-aged people stood before them, all slowly making their way outside in single-file. They all showed their tickets to whoever was in charge one by one. Olivia made sure to show both hers and Liam's in unison.

A couple of men around their forties were standing outside the bus with the large luggage compartments open on the sides and ready to be loaded. One after the other, the passengers all either handed their suitcases to the men or loaded them themselves and climbed aboard the bus, claiming their seats. Olivia's group was one of the last to board. Thankfully though, because of the limited amount of people traveling along with them, they managed to find a section large enough for all of them to sit together with room to spare at the tail end of the bus. They didn't have to worry about their luggage either because each backpack was small enough to fit in the compartments above their seats. It was preferred this way because if there happened to be an emergency involving monsters, they could very easily grab their things and bolt.

They all sat in rows of two, either sitting across from each other or directly in front. Because of the odd number of people in their group though, poor Sophia chose to sit on her own. Olivia didn't need to ask to understand it was a way for her to collect herself and take everything in. She was like that.

It was a trait Dad had as well, which is actually quite ironic considering the two seem like polar opposites at times. Every time Dad felt flustered or something, he liked to have some alone time to think things over just like Sophia did. Nonetheless, during arguments, you saw night and day differences between the two. Sophia always fought for her independence and ways to prove herself while Dad always pushed for her to see the importance of surrendering and obeying the rules as well as letting others take charge of certain situations at times. Of course you can see the _many_ arguments derived from these differences, one example being the beach party. And yes, Olivia was pulled into that one. Blame it on her desire to live up to her sister.

Sitting beside Olivia for the trip was Aunt Piper, who was fussing with her backpack. Across from her sat Uncle Jason and Uncle Frank. They were discussing whatever it was they were talking about, Uncle Jason offering a few shrugs here and there. Liam and _Papi_ sat in front of them. Only the tops of their heads were visible from the angle Olivia was in. Directly in front of herself and Aunt Piper, was Sophia.

They all sat there for a while, the bus driver making sure everything was taken care of before they set out on their long road trip. Apparently there was a lady who forgot one of her bags inside the building and had rushed off the bus to grab it, leaving everyone waiting for her return.

Outside the window, Olivia starred at the passing cars on the city streets, people on their way to certain destinations, living yet another regular day for a mortal. For them there was no time travel, no monsters, no Greek or Roman gods, no life-threatening quests... For them, this was simply a normal day, their only focus being to get a good paying job.

Must be nice.

"Are you okay?"

Her attention was brought to Aunt Piper pulling her arms through a cream sweatshirt that she had retrieved from her bag.

"What?" Olivia asked.

Aunt Piper zipped up her sweater, hiding the lavender razer back she wore underneath. "You've been really quiet. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Of course. Just thinking."

"Does it involve the quest?"

She shrugged and glanced out the window again. "You could say that."

There was a long uncomfortable pause.

"I remember my first quest," Aunt Piper said. "I went with Jason and Leo to set Hera free from her prison. Still don't know why we actually went ahead with it, but... it was an important quest. I remember feeling so overwhelmed with everything because not only did I have a quest to complete with my friends, but also because of the fact that my own father was in trouble and in need of help as well. For the longest time, I hid the fact that my dad was in trouble. You see, the only way for me to save him, was to betray my friends and lead them to the place he was, only for them to be killed. I didn't want them hating me if they found out about it so I just didn't tell them. It was later that they ended up finding out the truth, but instead of them hating me, they sided with me and vowed to help me no matter what it took. They supported me."

With confusion, Olivia looked at her with furrowed brows. "Why are you telling me this?"

She smiled in a mild manner. "Because we're your friends. Better yet, we're your _family_. If there's something on your mind that you're afraid of saying, don't be frightened to voice it. We're here for you. All in good time though. When you're ready."

How did people do that? How did they know what the other was thinking about? It almost felt like they could see right through you along with all your insecurities.

Feeling slightly exposed, Olivia raised the corner of her mouth in a half-smile before looking out the window again. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Just then the intercom blared through the speaker above them. _Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for choosing to ride with Greyhound. Your patience has been well appreciated after our short wait. We will now be on our way so I will ask if you would kindly stay in your seats and enjoy the trip. Thank you._

And thus began their long voyage.

* * *

Hours past and the boredom was overbearing.

Aunt Piper had fallen asleep beside her and the others were too far away to talk to. Olivia had tried to fall asleep as well, but it was nearly impossible for her to ever fall asleep in a moving vehicle. Every time she closed her eyes in order to force herself into slumber, she felt the need to open them shortly afterwards for whatever reason she didn't fully know. She fidgeted in her seat with dissatisfaction of her position, having only a small area to work with. Everything around her was just too still. Things needed to be moving other than the trees passing by her window, even if it was only a mere elbow nudge. At this point, she was simply staring at Aunt Piper's arm in the hopes she would make some kind of movement.

You see, just like _Papi_ , Olivia had severe ADHD and even the idea of sitting still ate at her. It wasn't nearly as bad as Dad's but still enough to irritate her. This, apparently, made her resort to falling back into her old habit of biting her nails. She had caught herself chewing on them again every once in a while during their road trip, her fingernails now down to rough stubs. Both her parents hated when she bit them and it took a long time for her to actually break from the habit.

 _Lo siento, mamá y papá_ (Sorry, Mom and Dad). Guess I fell back into it, she thought to herself.

Trying to keep herself from her nail biting, she began tapping the alphabet in Morse code over and over again with the tips of the fingers. She stopped at thirteen times after growing bored of it. Then she attempted cloud gazing, making creatures out of the white wisps in the sky. That failed as there were barely any clouds to be seen. After that, she kept herself busy by making a list of wild animals she spotted. Her amazing list consisted of a fox, a bald eagle, and a _lot_ of birds. Not too exciting.

Another hour passed and she finally noticed Aunt Piper waking up from her long and restful slumber. She stretched in her seat and let out a lengthy yawn.

"Have a good sleep?" Olivia asked, thankful she could finally have someone to talk to.

She nodded. "Well, I didn't have any other dreams, so in that way it was great."

Yeah, it still kind of freaked her out the way her aunt could see into the future like some kind of possessed Apollo offspring.

"That's good," Olivia smiled.

"It is. I haven't been having a lot of them lately. Maybe it has something to do with your presence here, you know? Like the dreams were more of a warning of what was to come. If that's the case, I'm more than relieved. They felt as if they would take over my life."

"Nothing bad has happened in the dreams though, right?"

At that, Aunt Piper hesitated a second. "No, not really. There's always one single scene that keeps trying to push through though but it never does. It's almost like it loses it's momentum to completely focus or it fades away as if I'm waking up. I've never been able to finish it."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Olivia mumbled and began chewing on her nails again.

"I'm starting to think that way too." She paused and took a moment to think. "Is it... do you think it's the night when..."

Without making her finish her sentence, Olivia nodded and looked down. "Yeah."

"I'm so sorry."

She sighed. "Yeah, well, we're going to fix it. That's why we're here, and not only to bring back our father and brother back from the dead, but to keep the other members of the Seven safe as well."

Aunt Piper smiled weakly. "You know, you guys are taking on a huge responsibility by doing this. You chose to risk your lives for people you've loved and for others even though this should all be impossible right now. I mean, you guys literally went back in time to stop this. I really admire you and your siblings' dedication."

"Thanks, though I can't say it was my idea. If you should admire anyone, it should be Sophia. She was the one who accepted _Abuelo's_ (Grandpa's) suggestion and took action. I simply followed her decision."

"Hey, I'm sure you've done lots that people can admire. Just agreeing to go along with such an insane journey takes guts. Most people I think would walk away from it."

"I guess." Still though, she didn't feel very admirable. If Sophia hadn't asked her to come along with her, there was a good chance she probably wouldn't have gone at all. In fact, had her sister never invited her to accompany her on her quest, Olivia would most likely be at home now, trying to help Aunt Hazel prepare supper while the kids played in the basement. Uncle Frank would be supervising them and _Mamá_ would be upstairs with the baby having a rest.

Mom seemed to do that a lot since the attack. She's been going through some intense grieving and the only time she had to herself to mourn _Papi_ and Noah was during meal times, when everyone was at the table. Then she would sneak away to have some alone time in her room, sometimes for the rest of the night.

"So," Aunt Piper changed the subject. "Tell me a bit about the future. What is the rest of the Seven like?"

"The Seven? You mean you haven't seen anything about anyone other than our family?"

She shook her head. "No. What are everyone else's lives like?"

Not really sure where to start, Olivia shrugged. "Well... Their all married with kids, you and Uncle Jason included."

"We actually get married?" she asked with a smile.

"Of course. And you have five kids: Lex, Cody, Winter, Ashton, and Gale, all ranging from thirteen to three. They're great."

"Five? Where do we live?"

"You guys live in California but your kids alternate between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter each year so we see them fairly often. You're whole family is big into surfing by the way."

"Well they should be! It would kill me to know we don't ever take advantage of those gorgeous waves," Aunt Piper laughed. "This is so amazing! So, what does Jason do for a living?"

"He's a pilot."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but you can imagine he's gone a lot."

She nodded with a look slightly deflated.

"He gets long breaks though. You spend those offering surfing lessons to the locals. You even taught Sophia the one summer when we came to visit."

"Oh, that's fantastic! How well does she do?"

Olivia laughed. "She cheats by commanding the winds to keep her from falling. If she was not the daughter of my mother, she'd be toast every time she went out."

Aunt Piper laughed as well. "She'll have to take a few more lessons I think to be considered an actual surfer. No cheating allowed. You tell her that for me."

"Trust me, you've said it to her in person more times than I can count."

Again, they burst out laughing.

"So what about the others? What's going on for them?" Aunt Piper finally asked. "Tell me what their lives are like."

"Well, Uncle Percy's a professional swimming instructor. Aunt Annabeth homeschools their three kids, Jasmine, Niki, and Ashley aside from working on architectural projects for the city of Manhattan. They come over the most often to come and visit since they live the closest to us. Jasmine is the eldest as a fifteen-year-old, Ashley is the middle child being eight, and Niki is six. Jasmine and Sophia get along really well. Niki and the twins have their differences but they survive.

"And Uncle Frank works with the head of police back in San Fransisco the odd times when he's not busy training military men. Then Aunt Hazel has her own business making and selling jewelry, and their two sons Samuel and Emmett, ages ten and nine, are planning to attend a private boarding school as soon as they get back. Their whole family is living with us at the moment... and..." Her smiled faded a small bit at the thought. "Yeah. That's what's been going on."

There was a wide grin on her auntie's face. "Wow. This is so great. Although, it kind of surprises me that Frank is part of the police force and military. What about New Rome at Camp Jupiter? I thought he and Hazel would for sure live there."

"Oh, they do," Olivia assured her. "Their house is there. Aunt Hazel's jewelry shop is in the little market area there."

"How well does she do with it? Gods, now I want to see the stuff she makes!"

"Oh, her necklaces are gorgeous. I have a few in my jewelry box, one of them with my birthstone."

"Is that right? What month?"

"February."

"So, an amethyst? You're lucky. They're beautiful."

Olivia nodded with a sheepish smile. "Yeah."

"Huh." Aunt Piper's face twisted in thought. "Okay, this is kind of going back to the main topic. So, because you keep calling us Aunt and Uncle, what do you call the Seven's kids then? Cousins?"

Olivia uncapped her water bottle she had quickly grabbed from a vending machine just before boarding. "It's a bit tricky at times. Sometimes we refer to them as our cousins, other times we simply call them our friends." She took a long sip of her water and swallowed the mouthful, twisting the lid back on. "We never really think about it too much. They're family to us, so even though we know they're not blood related to us by a long shot - sorta - we could never think of them any other way."

"That's understandable. So there's no personal interests between the kids."

"No. Not in that way. We're like extended siblings."

"Gotcha." Aunt Piper rested her head against the headrest and sighed, staring at nothing in particular. They both sat without saying anything for a while.

"I just don't understand it," she finally said after deep thought.

"Understand what?"

"My dreams. It really doesn't make any sense. I'm not even the daughter of Apollo. How am I having them?"

Olivia laughed without any humor. "You're asking the wrong person. I'm still trying to figure out how time travel is possible."

"No, really. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that a certain god or goddess is in control of what I see each night. And with that dream that keeps fading away, the one I can never finish, every time I have it, the scene is stronger and lasts a little longer than the time before. Not by much, but noticeable enough that I catch on. It makes me wonder whether or not someone up there is trying to ease me into the whole thing."

Olivia looked at her, not knowing what to say. If what she said was in fact true, would Grandpa be the one giving her the visions? Maybe it was even Apollo himself. Really, there was no knowing who it was. With the gods, everything happened in such odd and sporadic ways. It was their way to satisfy their need for dramatic results especially when Aphrodite was involved. Just another reason demigods hated them so much. They didn't understand what any mortal goes through in the process of it all.

"I just hope Apollo won't get upset with our messing with the future," Aunt Piper murmured.

"I wouldn't worry about it right now. I think it would be better to focus at one thing at a time, and that would be the quest."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right."

At that moment, Olivia realized they were now entering another city. The bus drove the busy streets until it eventually parked itself at another large Greyhound bus station. It almost felt odd for the engine to be turned off as well as the constant hum of the road passing underneath them suddenly stop after being accustom to the noise for such a long length of time. The bus driver made a short announcement that they were going to take a short break to stretch their legs and maybe grab a bite to eat if any were hungry. They were to meet back here by six o'clock to head back on the road.

In front of her, Olivia watched as the other passengers began standing and making their way off the bus, grabbing their purses or whatever they felt they needed to talk along with them. Uncle Frank and Uncle Jason both stood and shouldered their backpacks before taking their turn to leave. Sophia did the same after reaching above to retrieve her bag in the luggage compartment placed above the seats.

Eventually, they all made it inside the large and sleek-looking station, their luggage on their backs. Many windows lined the outline of the front of the building while tall indoor trees were planted in separate rows, offering the place a touch a green.

There were so many people, multiple groups not unlike their own sitting together at tables with wraps or burgers, all talking and enjoying themselves. The children's play area was in good use as small kids crawled up the little play castle, some crying for whatever reason, their mothers there to comfort them. Olivia heard enough of that at home with the amount of younger siblings she had, not including Celia, their new baby sister. What was up with kids crying over something as simple as being pushed down?

As she looked around though, spinning around to take it all in, she eventually noticed there was someone from their group missing.

"Where's Dad?" she asked, slightly panicled that they lost him somewhere in the crowds. There were so many people here.

Uncle Frank didn't look too worried though. He calmly pointed to the men's washrooms only a few feet away from them.

"He's in there," he said. "I think he said something about being carsick."

"Carsick? Don't you mean _bus-_ sick?"

"Oh, I forgot him being sensitive in that department," Aunt Piper cringed. "Is he okay, do you think?"

"He should be. That is, as long as he made it to the toilet." He shivered, clearly having a visual. "If it becomes too much for him, though, we should maybe rethink our way of transportation."

"Possibly."

They waited a few more minutes and soon enough, Dad came back out wiping a paper towel against his mouth, a look of disgust on his face.

"Dude, you okay?" Uncle Jason asked him. "You look pale."

He scrunched his nose and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah. I'm good. I've been better, but it's fine. Just one of my stupid curses I live with."

"Did the bus ride seriously effect you that badly?" Sophia asked, her arms crossed.

"Apparently. I couldn't even focus in on the horizon at the front window. There was a stupid man in the way. He just _had_ to sit directly in front of me when he had the entire bus to pick a seat from."

They all chuckled.

Dad pointed his finger at them. "Hey! It's not funny! When _you_ feel like puking your guts out on a seven-and-a-half hour long car trip, you'll understand how _not_ funny it is!"

"Sorry, Leo," Aunt Piper apologized. "We didn't mean to upset you. It's just, you know, a classic."

He stuck his tongue out at her in a childlike manner.

"Well, if you're all finished with you're little squabble, I'm gonna get something to eat," Sophia cut in brushing her short curls out of her face. "I'm starved."

"Me too," Liam nodded. "I want chicken nuggets."

"Ugh. Gross. Don't talk about food," Dad groaned, clutching his stomach.

"Why? Does that bother you?" Sophia smirked, which only received a glare from Dad.

"Well, in that case," she continued, a look on her face, "I think I'll get a hotdog topped with as much mustard I can get."

"I might get a few greasy burgers," Uncle Frank joined in.

"Stop! Please stop!" _Papi_ begged them.

Aunt Piper smiled, catching on to their cruel game. "Maybe a nice vegetable wrap filled with a load of stringy cheese is what I'm in the mood for."

"I think I'll get a egg salad sandwich," Uncle Jason smirked. "What about you, Olivia? What do you want to eat?"

"Nothing!" Dad yelled to them. "You'll get nothing!"

Olivia laughed, knowing how mean they were being towards him. Still, she couldn't resist. "How about a pepperoni pizza, with extra sauce and mushrooms."

"AUGH!" he cried out, his hands over his ears. "Stop it! You're cruel!"

"Okay, okay," Aunt Piper said. "We'll stop."

He took his hands away hesitantly, his glare still evident on his face. "You better, otherwise I'll make it my top priority to vomit on your shoes."

Again, they all laughed.

"Fine," Sophia announced, "but I'm still eating."

With that, she started walking towards the cafeteria area and the rest followed. Poor _Papi_ , still holding his stomach, had no other choice but to follow.

* * *

 **Wow that took a long time.**

 **I hope you like the fact that I finally brought Olivia's POV in here. I thought that since her sister had a chance in the spotlight, it was only fair to let Livy to have a turn. Let me know what your thoughts are and I'll try harder to update sooner. Believe me when I say it was torture even for me. I hate not posting anything for such a long time. It's here now, though, so enjoy it!**

 **As for the winning poll option... _Merry Christmas_ won! I posted it quite a while ago so if you read it, than that's fantastic! If you haven't, I would appreciate it if you checked it out. It's my very first one-shot ever. Let me now what you think of that one as well. :)**

 **Look out for chapter seventeen peoples. ;D (Hopefully _A Light in the Dark_ will be updated soon enough too)  
**

 **~supworld~**


	17. Chapter 17

**There was once was a certain person who loved to write. This person often had other things on the go making it difficult to take time to write. Somehow, this person, even** **though** **he/she enjoyed sharing what he/she wrote, wasn't able to post anything on fanfic for a very long time because of these numerous distractions. This person asks for forgiveness from those who have been waiting a long time for the update.**

 **I have been CRAZY busy lately. Also, my computer is acting up. I don't know if it's in the process of a long and drawn out death, or... Sorry anyway. (I also posted a new story! It's called _The Day Meg Told Apollo to Jump Off a Cliff_. This was a prompt from one of my readers and I loved the idea. Basically, it's a fluffy one shot between Apollo and Meg. Check it out if you can and share your thoughts!)  
**

 **Sorry for any mistakes.**

 **Reviews:**

LonelySkeleton013: **Yeah, I was just reading it again just to remember what exactly I wrote and it turned out a little darker than I meant it to. Oh well. Thanks anyway though. :)**  
 **Ah, you're a great fan of my other story as well aren't you? Super happy about that. I will get to that one soon enough (I hope). We'll see... (and don't forget, if there is something you want to see in _A Light in the Dark_ , feel free to share your ideas with me. I'll try to work it in somewhere if I can. ;))  
**

Demigod-Wizard-Gatekeeper: **Leo can be pretty oblivious I guess. XD Yeah, he should have known he married Calypso in the end. And please don't stress yourself my dear reader about Milo and Calypso. I'll let you know (SPOILER ALERT!) ...that _she will find out..._ eventually. ;D Can't tell you when. Just keep reading. You're welcome!**

* * *

 **~Piper's POV~**

Piper knew she jinxed the whole dream thing by openly admitting she wasn't having them very often anymore. Naturally, because she had spoken with Olivia about it, she could feel herself fading away in her slumber into one of those dreams once again. They had been on the road for a little over a day now and it was difficult to stay awake hearing the constant humming of the engine and the tires rolling against the pavement for hours on end. Now that it was melting away into the background to a soft white noise, her dreams began to focus in.

Piper stood in the middle of the living room with Milo, Calypso, and Noah. They seemed to be the only ones in the house as there was no sign of anyone else. Both Calypso and little Milo sat across from each other at the coffee table with playing cards fanned out in their hands. Milo seemed to have trouble holding them in that manner, so he eventually set them all face up on the rug in front of him. Noah was lying upside down on the couch so his head hung over the edge of the cushions, his face turning red from the blood draining to his head. His freckles were being washed away from the vibrant color.

"When will Dad be back from work?" Noah complained. "He promised me we could go swimming."

Calypso placed a card down on the stack placed in the center. "Noah, dear, he didn't promise anything. He said if he felt up to taking you, you could go. Days at the shop can be very tiring for your father."

"But when will he be back?"

Milo sat with his tongue sticking out in concentration, contemplating his next move. Piper didn't know what game they were playing, but it looked like it could be Crazy Eights.

Calypso smiled at her four-year-old son. " _Papi_ will be back at five, Noah. He'll be home in a little less than an hour."

"An hour's a long time," he mumbled throwing his arms over the edge past his head. "I'll die from waiting so long."

His mother laughed at his dramatic response. "I don't think waiting an hour will kill you, darling. Lying on the couch like that might if you continue sitting like that though. Sit up please, Noah. All the bloods rushing to your head."

"Waiting an hour _will_ kill me, Mom. I've been waiting to go swimming _all day long_. Even when I woke up. Before I woke up. Before I went to bed. Hey, Mom. Guess what? I had a dream about swimming last night. It was at the really cool outdoor pool. Aunt Annabeth and Uncle Percy were there and Niki and Ashley and Jasmine were there too. They were teaching me how to swim. I had new swim shorts in my dream and Mom, it felt so real I thought it was real life. I even got up and looked for my new swim shorts. Did you ever have dreams like that? That you thought they were real?"

"No, Milo, you can't place that card down. It has to be a nine or something with hearts." Calypso then turned her attention back to Noah. "I believe I've had a few dreams like that myself. Noah, what did I tell you about sitting on the couch like that? Sit up."

With obvious ADHD, he sat up and plopped himself upright on the couch, sitting Indian style and holding onto his feet. His face was as red as a firetruck. He began to bounce, his energy levels sky-high.

"How long has it been now, _Mamá_?" he asked.

Looking up at the clock hanging above the large living room window, Calypso said, "Only a minute or two, Noah."

He sighed heavily. "Mom, I'm dying already. I'm dying. I'm dead."

Milo looked at the two of them with confusion. "Mommy, Noah isn't dead."

"No, he isn't. You're right. Noah, please don't talk like that in front of your brother. You're not going to die. It's only an hour."

He huffed and crossed his arms over top his monster truck shirt in boredom. "I want to go swimming."

Calypso placed another card down and Milo slumped his shoulders.

"I can't go now," Milo uttered with his bottom lip sticking out. He reached out with his little hand and took a card from the draw pile and added it to his collection on the floor. "Go, Mommy."

Watching them play, Noah began kicking his legs into the air and singing a song Piper didn't recognize. This went on for a little while until he finally got up and made his way over to the upright piano placed against the far wall. Climbing the bench, he pulled out a children's beginner book and opened it, looking for a specific page. When he found it and began to play the tune he was singing previously, Piper couldn't help but smile at him. He was adorable. His body bobbed up and down with the music, following the pattern of the keys. She doubted he was even aware he was doing it.

Time continued to pass and soon enough, the game of Crazy Eights was finished, Milo smiling widely with his hands up in the air, showing he was out of cards.

"I win!" he declared and made a little victory dance.

His mother laughed at him and began gathering up all the cards. "Good job, Milo."

"I did it!" He ran around the table and gave her a big hug. "I beat you!"

Calypso kissed his cheek. "You sure did."

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Milo?"

"Can I go play with the guinea pigs now?"

She smiled at his politeness. "Yes, you may play with the guinea pigs. Just don't let them out of their cage."

"Thanks!" he smiled and ran off to the other side of the house, disappearing around the corner.

Just before Calypso could stand up herself, Noah stopped in the middle of his song and turned around on the bench. "How long now?"

"Noah, you ask the same question every three minutes. Dad won't be home for little while yet."

He slumped his shoulders with disappointment.

"But," she continued, struggling to get to her feet due to her condition, "I think I know a way to pass the time."

Curiosity flickered in Noah's big brown eyes, his back straightening. "What? What is it?"

"How about we bake some cookies, just you and me? Would you like that? It will make time pass faster."

That was enough for the child to jump off the bench with excitement. "Can we make chocolate chip?"

"Sure."

"Or no! The chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies!"

"How about we choose which ones to make after we get to the kitchen. There's a full cookbook there to look at."

With newfound enthusiasm, Noah bolted to the kitchen and started pulling out all the bowls and multiple wooden spoons and pretty much threw them all on the counter top. Just as he was about to grab the three cookie sheets that hid away in the side cupboard beside the stove, Calypso stopped him when she entered the kitchen, her hand on her stomach.

"Hold on there, mister. We do _not_ need that many bowls or spoons. Put them back, you silly boy."

He giggled and did as she told him to do, leaving only one set of each, then brought out a small stool for him to stand on. Calypso then opened the pantry door and grabbed two aprons, one for her and the other for Noah. It looked a little awkward for her to wear her white frilly apron over her pregnant stomach, but at least it would keep her clothes clean. She then tied a blue one around Noah, adjusting it so it fit him despite it being too big for him.

From another cupboard, Calypso pulled out a thick cookbook and set it on the counter beside the bowl. "Alright. What should we make?"

Noah pulled the book in front of him and began flipping through the pages, glancing at each picture until he found something that caught his eye. With a finger pressed to the book, he pointed to a picture of a stack of cookies.

"What kind are those," he asked.

She looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Those look good. They're triple chocolate extreme cookies."

"Dad will like those. Can we make them?"

"Sure we can," she smiled.

Together they gathered up all the ingredients and measuring utensils they needed for the recipe and got to work.

As they waited for the butter to melt in the microwave, Calypso asked Noah, "So are you excited about visiting Uncle Jason and Aunt Piper next week?"

"Yup. Cody wants to show me his new bike he got for his birthday. It doesn't have any training wheels or anything. He says it looks like a motorbike."

"A motorbike? Wow. It must be pretty fancy."

"Yup," he grinned, hopping on his feet with eagerness. "And he said I could ride it around the park when we get there."

"Isn't that nice of him? You'll have to thank Cody for being so kind to you."

"Yeah. I'm really excited to ride it. Lily said she wanted to ride it too, but she's a girl. I don't think she will like it very much."

"Oh? And why's that? I'm sure she'll like it just as much as you would."

The microwave beeped and Calypso opened the door and carefully brought the bowl out. She carried it over to the counter they were working with previously and began measuring the wet ingredients. She handed the spoon of vanilla to Noah so he could pour it in.

"You think Lily will like it?" he asked dumping the ingredient in with the liquefied butter.

"Why not? I like the cars your father works on. In fact, before any of you were born, right after your father and I got married, I helped him set up his shop. I worked alongside him even before we were married actually, and I enjoyed it."

"Wow," he said with a slightly awed expression. "You like gardening _and_ cars?"

"Of course."

Calypso broke two eggs and put them in herself before returning to stirring the contents in the bowl.

"So," she continued, "if I can like cars, I think Lily can like motorbikes, don't you?"

Noah looked unsure for a second or two, biting his lip as if he didn't like admitting what he was about to say. "I guess. But I'll still like it more."

"Oh, I think that's a possibility."

"Mom, how many days are there until we go?" he asked while adding another ingredient one spoon at a time.

"A week."

"How many is that again?"

"Seven days."

"Seven whole days?" he groaned. It was becoming clear that Noah hated having to wait any amount of time for something he really wanted.

Calypso smiled. "It's a little wait, but it's something to look forward to. We'll be staying with Uncle Frank and Aunt Hazel for a week as well. That will be fun won't it?"

"Yeah. I'm excited about it."

"You can play in their backyard pool too."

Noah's smile grew ten times larger. "They have a pool?!"

Calypso chuckled at how pleased he was. "They've had it for a while. You just haven't been to their place in a long time. Oh, careful with the flour."

Digging his arm into the container, Noah began scooping the measuring cup into the bin. "I want to swim there."

Then, as Piper could see it coming from the cringing of his face, Noah suddenly let out a loud and explosive sneeze. Honestly, it wouldn't have been that bad because he turned away from the bowl. However, even though he turned away, he didn't let go of the measuring cup filled with flour. It was still in his hand and he didn't think of leaving it hovering over the bin. So, of course, where do you think he sneezed?

Yup.

Poof.

The daughter of Atlas stood absolutely frozen as she stared down at the suddenly white floor and island. Noah, reorienting himself though still somewhat in a daze, looked around and spotted with his mother saw. Flour was everywhere. With large brown eyes he looked back at her with unmistakable concern that he would be in trouble.

A few seconds ticked by and the two looked at each other. Smiles grew on their faces and the two burst into laughter.

"N-Noah!" Calypso chuckled. "Darling, y-you should have left the measuring cup in the bin!"

He snorted. "But, Mom! I had to do what I had to do! I had to sneeze and I can't be holding that thing in! My head will blow off! Dad said so!"

With a hand over her mouth, she turned and rested her elbows on the counter, trying very hard to collect herself. She was laughing hard enough to bring tears to her eyes.

"I couldn't hold it, _Mamá_! But did you see how the flour exploded?!" he grinned. "It flew out from the sides like a bomb!"

"Noah!" she gasped for air. "P-please!"

"Here! I'll show you!" and before his mother even had time to stop him, Noah dug the cup in again and blew with a strong breath on the flour again, sending it on the floor, the counters, and even on themselves. Calypso shouted out in surprise when the whiff of flour blew over onto her face.

"Noah!"

Immediately, his eyes went big and slapped a hand over his mouth. " _Lo siento mama!_ (I'm sorry, Mom)" he muffled.

However, instead of getting mad at him, she did something much more surprising. With a laugh of her own, Piper watched as Calypso grabbed a handful of flour from the bin and blew it at him in the same playful manner. Noah screeched with surprise and turned away. Flour coated his hair and back, making him look like he'd just laid down in the snow. He laughed and turned back around, digging his own hand in to grab his own flour.

It's safe to say, at this point, that there was now a full-out flour war happening between mother and son. Their laughter echoed through the kitchen as they went back for more and more flour. With the amount floating in the air, it got harder for them to see, so they ended up reaching out blindly for the bin. Both their hair, once honey-blond, was now a dusty white. Their clothes also styled the same powdery look, and Piper wasn't even going to dare bring up the mess it made everywhere else. It was almost as if a snow storm decided to blow in. This whole fight got so intense that eventually, after a good while into their fight, they could barely hear the front door open.

Leo was home early.

The two of them, suddenly realizing this, immediately stopped what they were doing and tried to silence their giggles. Calypso tried her best to straighten themselves out by wiping the flour out of their hair. Together, they brushed their clothes as quickly as they could.

Leo was still at the door taking off his things, apparently _not_ in a good mood. "Tell me again why I ever wanted to open my own stupid shop?" he mumbled. "People are idiots. They come into my shop talking about how shitty their day was and then take it out on whatever the hell they possibly can. ' _You didn't order the right parts_ ' they say. ' _This shop over here offers this instead of that. Why can't_ I _have that?_ '. Are you freaking kidding me? _I_ run the business! _I'm_ the one who knows how to fix your frickin' car! But I guess _you_ know more about how to fix it than _me_! If that's the frickin' case, why the hell did you come to _me_ for?! What a waste of my time."

Piper heard him sigh as he made his way past the living room. "What's for supp..."

Leo froze with complete confusion, not even able to finish his sentence. He stopped in the doorway of the kitchen to see Calypso and Noah both standing there perfectly still and covered with flour from head to toe. Calypso's hair was a complete mess and Noah looked as if he was trying out a look like that of a mime. Neither of them said nor did anything. They simply stood and stared.

After a few awkward seconds, Leo opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Throwing his thumb over his shoulder, he furrowed his brows together. "You know... I think I'm just gonna... clean the garage... or something," and then he walked away, looking over his shoulder only once before leaving them on their own.

Another few seconds went by and Noah let out a loud snort followed by Calypso. Once again, the two were in the middle of a laughing fit.

"That was great!" Noah giggled. "Let's do it again when Sophie and Olive get home!"

"I think not," she uttered, finally getting a hold of the situation. "I think the two of us need a shower."

He groaned loudly. "Oh, but, Mom!"

"Go, Noah. I'll clean up."

With a disappointed not, he jumped off his stool and marched off, leaving a flour trail behind him. Calypso chuckled once more... until she turned back to the mess at hand. She placed a hand on her cheek and sighed. "My kitchen."

* * *

 **Short chapter, I know. :P Hope you like it. I wanted to involve some mother/son interaction in there. I know you guys were waiting for it. There will hopefully be more on the way. :)**

 **Anyway, I'll let you go to read some more fanfics (may I suggest my new story as well as _A Light in the Dark?_ ). Again, feel free to review! I enjoy reading them! **

**Yours truly,**

 **~supworld~**


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm back with the next chapter! (Also, I changed my name to** supworld-issa-tiger **. I'm a tiger now. Don't hate me 'cuz I'm beautiful. XD #tigersarebeautiful)**

 **Reviews:  
**

Demigod-Wizard-Gatekeeper: **Glad you were amused. ;) I had fun writing it! We'll see what Piper thinks! Read on!**

 **Oh, and FYI, I don't actually know a lot about mystical Greek monsters or anything (at least other than the one mentioned in the books), so to keep things interesting, I might add in a few from my own imagination. Hope that's okay with the lot of you reading this. :)**

 **Also, another FYI: I don't have a regular computer or even a phone to write on at the moment so updates may be quite spaced out. DX My laptop is out of commission as of a while ago. I'll try my best to post new chapters, however I have no idea when I'll have the chance. Sorry guys. :(**

* * *

 **~Jason's POV~**

After a total of over twelve hours on the bus, they planned to take Leo's advice of trekking across the border by foot using an off-road detour. By the time they arrived at the bus station in Champlain however, it was near midnight and no one was up for a midnight walk through the woods for several more miles. There was pretty much no choice other than to stay the night in town. They had attempted to search for a motel or something for a restful sleep, however the man behind the desk pretty much outright refused to give them a room. Jason didn't fully understand why, but that only left them with one choice: to sleep at the bus station and gods was it uncomfortable. The guys left the benches for the girls to sleep on, which was obviously out of courtesy for them, but even the benches didn't look any better. Not one of them woke the next morning without feeling some kind of pain.

Thankfully, even though they weren't allowed a room for the night, the man running the motel allowed them a breakfast meal in the small diner attached to the office building, though it wasn't with much enthusiasm. He still offered discrete glares when he thought they wouldn't notice.

One thing was certain though. Liam's appetite was just as big as Leo's. The pair of them scarfed down their pancakes with equal hunger while everyone else tried to ignore their wolfish behavior. Liam's mouth was covered with whipped cream and strawberries but he had a big grin.

"So what now?" Olivia asked stabbing a piece of sausage onto her fork. "We made it Champlain and plan on crossing the border into Canada, but what do we do afterwards?"

"We look for the beasts, duh," Sophia rolled her eyes at her younger sister.

"I know that," Olivia grumbled, "but where are we going to start looking in Quebec? What do we know what to look for?"

"Monsters," she answered smugly. She was just toying with her sister at this point.

Frank set his glass down. "Are you sure Hephaestus didn't give you guys a prophecy? It's kind of weird to be on a quest without one."

Sophia shook her head. "Nope. He just told me to take the time machine and make things right." She paused and made a confused face. "Actually, it is really weird that he never gave us a prophecy. There are no guidelines other than the direct order."

"Well, that makes everything a lot harder."

"Well, hey. Didn't you, Uncle Percy, and Aunt Hazel go on a quest without a prophecy before? Maybe it just hasn't made itself clear yet."

"That's true," he muttered probably remembering the quest to save Death on the top of that glacier. Wasn't that in Canada too? Oh. Right. Alaska.

"But that still doesn't answer my question," Olivia declared. "Where are we going to start looking in Quebec?"

"Why not the capital?" Piper added from Jason's side. "Quebec City."

"Or Montreal," Sophia helped. "Montreal is the largest city there... I think."

Jason set down his fork and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Both seem like good options. I don't believe we really have any specific place to be unless someone's holding something back."

"So which one then?"

He shrugged and watched as Leo handed Liam a few napkins for the pancake mess displayed on is face. "Why don't we take a vote?"

"A vote?" Olivia piped up. "Is this usually how you work things out on a quest?"

"Er, not usually, but it's happened before. Why? I thought you guys said you went on a quest before."

"I was just wondering."

"So then let's vote," Piper decided. "Hands up if you want to start in Quebec City."

Frank, Jason, Piper, and Leo put their hands up.

"Montreal?"

Olivia and Sophia, both sisters, raised their hands and looked at everyone else. Sophia shrugged. "Quebec City it is then."

"That was quick," Piper nodded, impressed.

"Question."

Everyone looked at Leo who was pretty much done his food. "Can we, you know, _not_ travel by bus anymore or at least for more than two hours? Hate to be that person but..."

With a sympathetic expression knowing of his severe carsickness, Piper looked over at Jason. "Are you willing to fly us over?" she asked teasingly.

"'Kay, dude. I'm not an air pilot!"

"Well..." Olivia muttered from the side just loud enough for Jason to hear.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Obviously not expecting him to hear, she looked up from her food with wide eyes. "Nothing."

"Didn't sound like nothing."

When he turned back to Piper however, she had a weird expression, almost as if she had finally put something together.

"Piper?"

"I totally forgot!" was all she said while staring at both Sophia and Olivia. Sophie was looking at her sister like she wanted in too.

"What's going on here?" he asked and snuck a peak at Leo, who also looked hopelessly confused.

"Yup," Olivia gleamed. "Uncle Jason's a pilot."

"No I'm not!"

"This is so insane! But you know, I can totally see him..." then Piper's face went white. "Gods, that means Cody... Is he actually our...?"

Olivia nodded. "I guess it's a little weird for you, but yeah."

" _This_ is weird," Jason cut in. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Wait," Sophia then interrupted, "Livy, what did you all tell her?"

"It wasn't just me!" she explained. "It was in her dreams. Cody was mentioned she said."

"This is both slightly creepy and a little over my head," Piper murmured with her head resting in her hands in an overwhelmed fashion.

"You want to know what's feeling slightly creepy and a little over _my_ head?" Jason asked. "This conversation. Leo, do you have any idea what they're talking about?"

He shook his head and continued to stare at the three girls with confusion. "No, but I gotta say, it's kind of entertaining."

"It is actually," Frank added from the side. Liam simply continued to drink his orange juice.

"So, how many are there again?" Piper asked.

"Who? Do you mean other than Cody?" Olivia said.

"Yeah."

"Four. Five total, Cody included."

"Okay, I'm being serious this time," Jason stated. "What are you talking about?"

Attention was brought to him and Olivia smiled. "You're an air pilot in the future."

"Wait," he paused. "What? Really? "

"Yup."

Leo laughed from across the table. "Dude! That's awesome! What am I?"

"You don't want me to answer that," Jason teased with a smirk.

He glared at him.

"Seriously, Dad?" Olivia asked with disbelief. "You really _do_ need to have everyone spell things out for you. You're a _mechanic_. Obviously. You run your own business and everything."

His grin grew. "Yes! Mechanical Monsters? Does Calypso work there too?"

"Used to. Then she had us."

"This is really great and all," Sophia interrupted, "but shouldn't we get back to the original topic? What's our way of transportation? It will take forever to walk all the way to Quebec."

Leo's grin fell almost completely. "I guess I could survive another bus ride, but I'd prefer something else first."

They grew silent for a moment, everyone deep in thought. The only ways of travel would by foot, car, or plane. If it wasn't for Leo's sensitive stomach, taking another bus or even buying a rundown van would automatically be their decision. As for walking, Jason didn't really think anyone was up for that. That left flying. Unless they found an airport and had their passports to cross into Canada, they wouldn't be able to that either. Unless...

"I think I have an idea," Jason stated. "We could fly just as Piper suggested."

Leo arched his eyebrow. "What? You got a plane?"

He shook his head. "No, that's not what I mean. What if Frank and I could fly you guys?"

"Keep talking."

"I could call out for Tempest while Frank could transform into a dragon. That way we would be able to avoid walking and taking another bus. Besides, it might take a shorter amount of time for us to travel that way."

"I like that idea," Sophia smiled through a mouthful of bacon and eggs. "I'd be willing to give it a shot."

Leo nodded as well. "I'm game. Man. I kind wish we had brought Festus along now."

"Festus would have been another member to look out for," Piper rationalized. "He wouldn't be able to transport seven demigods and we don't need to worry about any mechanical issues. At least Frank can turn into a dragon - a _real_ dragon - and there would only be six demigods to worry about. And like Jason said, he'll have Tempest. It's good that Festus stayed behind."

The look on his face showed that he still wished he was here, but he knew she was right. Festus would only cause unwanted issues on this particular quest.

"So I guess we have our transportation then," Olivia said. "Off to Quebec City."

* * *

Jason and Piper were mounted on Tempest, while the rest sat upon Frank the dragon. They had only been flying for a little over two hours and they had passed the Canadian border a long time ago. This was good news even aside that no one here was afraid of heights or had problems with being sick. On top of fast transportation, traveling by air gave them the advantage of an areal view. Of course, they probably wouldn't travel like this all the time, but long distance-wise, this was the way to go.

In his hands, Jason studied the map. Before they left, he had made sure to grab one from the lobby of motel after breakfast. Sophia took one as well just in case. Together they navigated their way to Quebec's capital, however, Jason wasn't sure how well they were doing. He'd been to Quebec last year with both Piper and Leo to save Hera, but they never had to worry about direction. Apparently, being the son of Jupiter gave Jason a special "sky trail" that only he could see. It helped point them in the right direction to where Hera was held captive and it worked out well. This time, they weren't appointed a specific direction other than Quebec City and something told him the magic trail only appeared when a god or goddess was showing him the way. That kind of sucked.

Another thing that made navigating rather difficult, was the way the wind flapped the map around in his hands. He'd attempted to control the winds up to a point, but it was incredibly hard to concentrate on both the map and keeping the wind out of the way.

All in all, he wasn't really having that much fun, but this quest wasn't exactly supposed to be enjoyable anyway. He just hoped they would get to Quebec City soon.

Apparently that wish was granted rather quickly, proving they were indeed going the right direction. Quebec City wasn't as far away as he had thought. Jason was pleased. On the horizon, he could make out the skyline of the buildings reaching from right to left. In some cases, it reminded him of Manhattan. It was large enough. After managing to find their way through the vast cities of New York, Quebec City shouldn't be too much different. And, even if they had problems with the language barrier when asking for directions, Piper was there to help with translations. He'd almost forgot she spoke French. Everything was lining up rather nicely.

Man. He hoped he didn't just jinx them.

Making their descent, Jason watched the city grow nearer. From above, he watched the cars on the streets pass underneath them, surly drivers honking their horns from annoyance from the traffic. Again, the scene was similar to that of New York, just without the Statue of Liberty.

"There it is," Piper shouted over the wind. "Quebec City."

"In all her glory," Jason added.

"Where are we going to land without causing major car accidents?"

That was a tough question. Where _does_ a person land a full dragon and flying horse in a city this large without _someone_ seeing them? Options were slim.

"We'll have to rely on the mist I guess," he answered back. "Sophia!"

"Yeah?" she yelled.

"Where are you wanting to land?"

"Maybe in a park somewhere. Lots of trees."

"Sounds good." He patted Tempest on the neck. "You hear that, buddy? Lots of trees."

His storm horse huffed in response, his way of saying "Okay".

As requested, the group lowered themselves down to a nature park placed in the centre of town. No civilians were walking there that day luckily. One by one, Jason and the rest of the group hopped off their ride with relief. As much as riding a horse for more than two hours is painful enough, Jason remembered the pain that came from riding Festus. Granted he was made of metal, but dragon riding wasn't fun either way.

Frank shrunk down into his normal human form and stretched his back. "I don't know how much of that I'm gonna want to do. That takes an enormous amount of energy out of me."

"Well you can take a break from that now," Piper told him. "We're at the capital."

"Yeah, well we still have to search for the first signs of these monsters," he mumbled.

"And this is what I was talking about at breakfast," Olivia declared with exasperation. "Where and what are we looking for here? How do we start our search?"

They all looked at each other. They were all kind of feeling stuck on that topic. You would think they would have figured out that much.

"Liam can help pinpoint the beasts we're looking for," Sophia suggested. "A city this large ought to have monsters hiding around somewhere. We'll start from there."

Olivia rolled her eyes, seemingly not feeling very confident in this plan. However, Sophia's idea was the best they had going for them at the moment. It was a start.

And so, they strolled the streets of Quebec City, taking in the sights and tourist attractions. There were multiple streets to wander down, which kind of made the whole search feel overwhelming. They randomly roamed around corners and crossed streets, hoping for some kind of sign. At one point, Leo made them stop a few minutes in order for him to buy a classic, Canadian, Lumberjack-styled shirt. He came out looking rather proud and impish as usual.

"How do I look?" he asked with his hands on his hips and his chest puffing out. "Do I look Canadian?"

"Not even close," Frank muttered.

Liam nodded. Whether he was agreeing with him or Leo, Jason wasn't sure.

"It looks great," Olivia smiled with amusement. "Now all you need is a pickax."

"And sled dogs," her sister giggled.

"And a gallon of maple syrup."

Frank raised his eyebrow. "Is that honestly all you think Canadians have?"

"Don't you?"

He sneered and began walking away. They all giggled feeling kinda bad for offending him. They were only teasing. It wasn't like they were serious.

They jogged to catch up with him in order to continue their search.

* * *

One hour. Two hours, three. The sun was at the highest point in the sky and the heat was bearing down on them. The only thing working on their side at the moment was that they had a nice day to roam the city. That was about it. With the amount of time that past, they hadn't gotten any further than when they started. Jason was ready to give up. Olivia was right. It was pointless to simply walk around waiting for monsters to show up, even if Liam could sense them. This city was huge. Monsters could literally be anywhere. For all he knew, they could be walking in one giant circle or even heading the opposite direction they needed to be heading. They were getting nowhere.

"This is pointless," Olivia sighed, stating both their thoughts. "This could take _months_!"

"Okay, let's take a break," Jason told them more than just suggested. "We seriously need to find a new plan."

Sophia slumped down on a chair from an outside cafe. "We don't have a plan."

"Me. I can help," Liam said pointing at his chest.

"Yes you can, Liam, but I don't know how well at this point."

"Maybe using a phone will help get us started?" Piper suggested, not sounding very confident.

"Yeah, and that will attract probably every monster we don't want," Leo muttered. "Obviously, they're not here. I don't know what these beasts look like, but I don't think they're going to be wandering these streets like a mortal."

"You don't know them," Sophia warned. "They can make themselves blend in rather well when they want to."

"Man, what _are_ these beasts? They're actually smart enough to train and blend in like everyone else. They almost sound like aliens more than monsters."

She shrugged. "I guess they kinda are. I've never seen anything like them in the Greek mythology books at camp. All I know of them..." She paused and shook her head. "All I know of them is that they are much stronger and smarter than I've ever expected a monster to be - not like I've fought a lot, but..."

"Yeah," Frank mumbled. "This is sounding better and better the more we go."

"Well, I'm not searching the entire city of Quebec," Leo stated, "so unless you have another option..."

"Maybe I can help."

Everyone paused and looked to their right. This was a new voice belonging to a rough man sitting at one the cafe tables, his head behind a newspaper as he held a coffee cup. Feeling their eyes on him, he slowly took the paper down revealing a thick beard, deformed nose, and large eyebrows. His brown eyes held an aged, yet kind gaze that told the story of a man - or god - who had seen and lived through many wars throughout numerous centuries. He wore a brown suite jacket over top a dress shirt which made him look like a university teacher. Jason knew he wasn't though because the man's face was instantly recognizable.

Leo furrowed his eyebrows and leaned forward a bit. "Dad?"

" _¿Abuelo?_ (Grandpa)" both Sophia and Olivia said with disbelief.

" _¡Abuelo!_ " Liam shouted after, clapping his hands with delight.

He smiled kindly with recognition of his grandchildren. "I see you have all made it here safely with my machine."

"No kidding..." Leo whispered under his breath with wonder. "He really did send them from the future..."

"What are you doing here?" Sophia asked with surprise.

"I sent you on your quest, didn't I?" Hephaestus told her.

"Yeah, but - "

"So you will need direction. I see that's an area in which you need some help with at the moment."

"Hey, hold up," Leo interrupted with a hint of anger. "Dad, how come you never offer your help to me when I'm on quests and here you are, offering _them_ a hand?"

A quick flash of disappointment or rather pity comes and goes from the god's face. "My boy, if you think I'm picking favorites, you are sadly mistaken. I myself have risked breaking Zeus's rules by coming in contact with any of you, even to the point of giving you a personal quest. By asking any of my grandchildren to use my time machine, I have also risked the wrath of Apollo. As you know he's not one to appreciate one messing with fate. And," he continued with an appointed look, "am I not helping you by ordering this quest?"

Leo quickly shut his mouth and stared at his father for a moment. His shoulders slumped. "I guess," he nearly whispered.

"Now," Hephaestus continued without lingering on the second-long spat, "As for my help. You will not find any of the beasts hidden here in Quebec or any of the Eastern Provinces. You must travel West to British Columbia. At the moment, they are hidden away in secret in the mountains. You will find them however if you follow my guidelines."

"Where in BC?" Olivia asked, glancing once at Frank in hopes of somewhere familiar to him.

"You will know when you get there," he assured her. "However, I heed warning to all of you."

 _Oh boy_ , Jason though to himself. _What is it this time?_

"Many monsters know of your quest. The use of the time machine holds a very strong magic. After its use, it alerts creatures the same way as it does when a demigod uses phones or computers, only with a further range. As you are on the hunt for the beasts, those who have picked up on the magical signal of my time machine will be hunting you."

"Oh. Great. Just what we needed to hear," Leo threw his hands in the air only for them to slap back down at his sides.

"You must watch your backs at all times. There are a great number of them."

Sophia hid her her head in her arms lying on the table. "I _hate_ being related to demigods!"

Leo looked at her with an expression mixed with both a little hurt and understanding. "You think the rest of us enjoy being one?"

Lifting her head, she glared at Hephaestus. "All we ever do is run from and fight monsters! Why can't we have a normal life without the fear of dying the minute we step outside of camp borders?"

"That is a question that is not answered so easily, my granddaughter," the god of fire said. "It's just the way things are. Where there is good, there will be a force fighting against it. And you did not have to choose to go on this quest. You knew the dangers involved, did you not?"

"Well, yeah, but - "

"What else is there to it? You either went, or stayed, and you knew the only way to fix things was to leave."

Both her and Olivia's gaze dropped.

"Life is dangerous as a demigod. That is something that can not be changed."

"Yeah, well it's a lot easier said than to accept ," Jason muttered to the god, feeling frustrated about the whole situation. "Your a god. You don't know what a mortal life is really like. People like us get killed everyday and all you can do is tell us _life is difficult for a demigod_."

Jason expected an argument from Hephaestus, but the only thing the god did in response was shake his head. "You're right. I don't know what life is like for any mortal. That is why I am lending you my aid for this dangerous quest. I can not be with you the whole way however, but I will try my best to guide you. I am working behind the backs of both Zeus and Apollo. I don't know when I'll have a chance to show up again."

Leo, being unusually quiet, suddenly cleared his voice. "And why bother taking such a risk? I mean, you gods don't usually go to risks like this because of one thing unless it meant saving your butt or something. Why? Why are you doing this?"

The old god just smiled at him - a sad smile. "Because life as a god can be difficult in its own way. We are kept away from certain things because of the distractions they cause from our godly duties. It is a rule Zeus made to keep us from losing focus. I can only wish it were different."

And then there was a moment of silence leaving Leo standing there with an expression Jason couldn't decipher. His mouth was slightly hanging open as if he was about to say something back but nothing came out.

Wow. That was a little deep. Jason wasn't aware a god could have so much feeling in him. If he wasn't mistaken he could almost sense that the guy was grieving his son and grandson even when their deaths were not for several years yet. It was almost as if knowing the when and how, Hephaestus was trying hard to fix it himself. The only way for him to actually step in was to get a mortal here on earth to accept the idea and go along with it. In this case, it was his grandchildren.

Breaking the now awkward silence, Frank shifted his weight on his feet. "So, you mentioned helping us?"

Hephaestus's attention was then brought to him. "I have shared the destination and gave you warning of what lurks in the shadows. There is little I can offer other than that right now, but I will be back again."

"That's it?" Olivia asked with shock. "What monsters are hunting us? How many? You're just going to leave without informing us?"

"You will find the answers to your questions soon. I must leave now. Otherwise I would gladly offer more help. I have been away from Olympus for too long."

"You just got here!" she fought back, but he ignored her statement and pushed his chair back.

"Wait!" Piper suddenly exclaimed as she watched him stand up from his seat. The god looked at her with confusion. She stuttered for a second. "C-can... Can I ask you one last question?"

"You may, if it is quick."

For a second it looked as if she was about to back out of her own request, but then found the courage to ask after a deep breath. "These dreams that I'm having. Are... Are you the one giving them to me? Are you the reason I'm having them?"

The god of fire smiled a little at her. "They started the quest, did they not?" was all he said before turning into a bright orange light and disappearing from the table he was once sitting at, his coffee and paper left on their own. As quickly as he came, he left, leaving them with a small bit of new information but not nearly as much as they were hoping. Of course, it was important to know they were being hunted as well. Jason was suddenly grateful for Liam's presence.

A while went by before anyone said anything. When there was someone who spoke, it was Jason.

"Well, that was something," he said, not knowing what else to say. That had to be one of the most unexpected conversations he'd had with a god in his whole life.

"Hephaestus was giving me those dreams?" Piper uttered with bewilderment. "Of all the gods in Olympus, _Hephaestus_ was the one?"

"I didn't know taking the time machine was putting us in so much danger," Sophia murmured with concern. She put her hands to her head. "I wasn't prepared for this. I feel like I did something horrible."

"You didn't," Olivia reassured her. "Think of the reason we're hear, Sophia. Think about what Grandpa said. It was either stay put, or do something to change fate."

"I know," she mumbled.

"And now we know which way to go. We know where the beasts are hiding... sorta. We'll get our revenge."

"Hey, guys," Frank said from the side. Everyone turned to him standing at the table Hephaestus was sitting at only moments ago. In his hands was a slip of golden paper that hadn't been there before. His eyes were glued to it. "I think you're going to want to see this."

* * *

 **Yay! Finished! Again, I have no idea when the next chapter will be posted, but hold on. I need to work out these dumb computer problems. DX**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading. Enjoy the torture of waiting after this lovely cliffhanger! Mwahahahahaha! XD**

 **Yours truly,**

 **~supworld-issa-tiger~**


	19. Chapter 19

**So after that cliffhanger, I'll be kind and get on with the story. I won't have any annoying author's notes. Here you go. :)**

* * *

 **~Leo's POV~**

 _Son of Wind and Fire falls shallow_

 _The Bridge of Time shall then cast shadow_

 _Those who defy the Lord of Future  
_

 _Shall find the Beasts behind their Ruler_

They all stared at the piece of golden paper. No one said a word. They knew what it was they were looking at and Leo immediately felt the need to sigh. Really? Another prophecy? And here he thought they were lucky enough to go without several confusing verses foreseeing someone dying or possibly ending the world. Why did he have to be a demigod again?

From the silence, Frank, who was still holding the paper, muttered, "Well, I guess we got what we wanted. We have another prophecy."

"I didn't say I wanted one," Leo grumbled. "Now we have to follow rules."

"What do you think it means?" Olivia asked the group, hoping someone would have the answer. No one offered anything right away but when someone did speak, it was Piper.

"' _Son of Wind and_ _Fire_...' Do you think that's Liam?"

"I would guess," Jason said with a shrug, looking the boy's way. "What does it mean by ' _falls shallow_ ' though?"

All eyes turned to Liam. He was unaware to their sudden interest in him due to him amusing himself with a string on his shirt. He'd wrap it around his finger only to unwind it and then start all over again. Imprints of the string were now visible on his now red finger.

"I don't know," Sophia said close to a whisper. "But I don't like it."

"Whatever it is, it's clearly connected to the second line. How can the Bridge of Time show itself?" Piper questioned.

"Look!" Liam suddenly declared with his finger out to them showing the lines pressed into it. "Red."

Olivia smiled slightly. "Don't do that. You're cutting off your blood circulation."

With a confused frown, he put his hands back down at his sides. He didn't know what that meant.

"Well, what does it mean when it says ' _Bridge of Time?_ '" Sophia asked. "Is that supposed to mean the tie between the present and future?"

"It only makes sense. I mean, they did just travel with Hephaestus's time machine," Frank said from the sideline.

"Yeah," Piper cut in again, "but how can the Bridge of Time cast shadow? You can't see time. It's not a physical object. It's an idea."

Jason breathed out a heavy sigh. "You know, let's not worry about that right now. What about the rest of it?"

"Who's the Lord of Future?" Leo asked with a raised finger.

"Apollo," Olivia immediately answered. "It's pretty obvious. I mean he _is_ the god of prophecy. And by traveling back in time, we are the ones defying him. We can change fate."

"I do love that last sentence."

She smiled with agreement. "So do I."

Frank cut in. "And then there's the last line. ' _Shall find the Beasts behind their Ruler_ '. They have a ruler now? Did you or Sophia know that?"

"No. It makes sense though. These beasts are much too organized. They'd _have_ to be following someone's orders."

"We have no idea who it would be though," Sophia confirmed.

"Alright," Jason nodded in thought. "We've figured some things out at least. I say we keep on trekking and I'm sure we'll learn more as we go. We don't want to waste any more time."

Sophia pressed her lips together. "I agree. Let's keep moving."

And so half an hour later, they were flying through the sky again, passing by fields and mountains. Every once in a while, they'd see a small town and more often a city in the distance. Sophia's arms were wrapped around Leo's chest and Liam and Olivia directly behind them.

Feeling the wind in his hair while riding on a dragon reminded Leo strongly of his first quest with Piper and Jason. For some reason, it gave him a strange sense of... sadness? Longing? No. That wasn't it. There was something he was feeling but he didn't really know what it was or what it meant. Maybe he just missed those days. He'd gone through a lot with them and remembering the days when he braved his very first quest were ones he wouldn't forget. They were the beginning of a new chapter in his life; a better chapter.

Which now made him wonder what was up with his dad. It almost sounded as if he was concerned for him. And then he went and said (before everyone else, mind you) that he wished he could be there for him more and that things were different. Embarrassing? A bit. Surprising? Very. Was his dad softening up or something? Hard to believe, yet he just admitted it. And on top of that, he is supposedly going against both Zeus and Apollo by ordering this quest so the future could look different; so Leo and his future son, Noah, won't die. That's a little hard to swallow knowing that the gods are usually cold and uncharitable. They usually lay back and make their kids do all the work. Well, technically he and his friends are still doing all the work but Hephaestus is actually taking part where he can too. Weird.

Hours past. At least he thought it had been hours. Leo had fallen asleep as they flew to their destination, resting his head on his arms like a pillow. The weirdest dreams floated through his head. They had something to do with their meeting with his father. He wasn't sure what though. He'd awoken to a sunset, clouds hiding the tip of the sun as if covering it up for the night. In the evening light, the world had taken on a yellow/orange hue. To his side, mounted on Tempest the Storm Horse, Jason and Piper looked exhausted. He was sure the guys behind him were tired too. Frank was probably the most worn out of the bunch. He'd been flying for who knew how long without rest. Still, he went on, though Leo noticed at a lower altitude.

"Guys," he shouted over the wind. "I think Frank could use a break for the night."

Jason looked their way and nodded once noticing the lazy way their friend was flapping his wings. Frank's head was drooped low and his eyes barely open. "Sure. We'll land at the next town we find."

Leo then turned his head to his other side. "How are you guys doing back there? Getting tired yet?"

"Gods, yes," Sophia grumbled. "I need sleep. And food."

"Don't worry. It won't be too long. We'll find a place to rest."

They were silent the rest of the ride until they found a small town which took forty minutes to find. A little further away than they had thought, but at least they found something even if it was edging close to full darkness. More and more stars shone down on them.

Below them, the town they had found was worthy of being called less than tiny. Maybe it had to do with the thick trees that surrounded it, banning it to it's own deserted island away from the rest of civilization. There could be other buildings and houses hidden in the trees somewhere, but most of it was out in the open. Very few cars were parked on the streets from what Leo saw. The main road led directly to a slow back road which no one seemed to travel on much. Even from their distance, Leo could tell how rough the ride would be. Most of it was gravel.

They began their slow descent and eventually landed on a large grassy patch away from most of the buildings. Now that they were up close, the town looked especially small. Several old houses lined the outskirts of the town close to the trees surrounding them. A lot of them seemed dirty and hardly even standing. Aside from the sad-looking houses, were small businesses, their signs faded out from the heat of the sun. The street lights were all on with the exception of the odd one flickering.

Leo dismounted Frank, followed by the others. He faced the group and asked, "What is this? Where are we?"

Sophia pulled the map out from her backpack and studied it for a minute. "I don't even think it's on the map. Wait. Are we still in Quebec?"

"Yeah."

"Nope. It's not on here. We'll have to get a new map once we cross though. The next province isn't on this thing."

"You think this place will have one?"

"Please," Piper interrupted. "Let's wait 'til morning. We all want to rest."

At that moment, Frank transformed back to human form and nodded. "Sleep sounds so good right now."

Sophia stuffed her map back in her bag. "Whose up for searching for a comfortable spot to spend the night then?"

They groaned but followed her to roam the unknown streets all the same. As they did, Leo noticed how dead this place really was. It was shocking they still had any power here. In the remaining daylight they still had, he made out how poorly the shape of the buildings were. The shingles were all falling off, some of them on the ground as if a storm had passed by eons ago and no one even bothered to pick them up. Weeds and wildflowers were growing out from the cracks of the cement lining the parking lots which were mostly empty. Strangely though, a single truck sat alone in a parking stall to a corner store. It was rusted so bad it hardly had a color anymore. The tires were all flat and the windshield was cracked to no repair. He hoped someone didn't die in the thing. It obviously hadn't been used in a while.

At their feet, they walked on dead leaves and trash littering the roads. Chip bags, newspapers, cans... you name it. It was as if no one cared what this place looked like. Maybe they were walking through a ghost town. Wasn't there anyone here to look after this mess?

"Gross," Olivia muttered as she lifted her foot up and immediately wiped it on the ground. "I stepped in something slimy."

Piper cringed and they were all of a sudden more aware of where they placed their feet.

Passing by a house, Leo couldn't help notice the boarded up windows and mold-eaten porch. This was looking more and more like a ghost town by the minute. Litter, buildings falling apart, abandoned vehicles... Question was, why in the world did this town still have power if no one lived here? Or maybe they did and they were so isolated they didn't even bother cleaning the place up for anyone because they knew they didn't get any visitors. Little did they know that the litter and run-down businesses probably scared most people off.

"Lively little town, huh?" Leo joked. "I'd hate to see what it would be like during rush hour."

Olivia smirked. "Probably hell."

"Livy," Sophia scolded her sister. "Don't talk like that."

"Don't talk like that," Olivia mouthed back in a snide way just quiet enough for Sophie not to hear. "You say that word all the time," she mumbled.

Leo raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" she asked. He just laughed and shook his head.

"Nothing."

They walked on, looking around. As they did, Leo spotted a lone tree standing beside a gas station. Unlike the other healthy trees surrounding the town, this tree looked dead or on the verge of being so. Most of it's branches were bare. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, it almost looked as if had full-out been raked of its leaves. And there was something coating the trunk though it was hard to tell what it was in this light. It was a foggy translucent from what he could see and it was thick. It almost looked as if someone had decided to cover the thing in glue from a hot glue gun. Leo passed it with a weird feeling in his gut. That wasn't normal.

"You think one of these places is open?" Sophia asked.

Jason tried a door to a random business. It rattled but didn't open. "Not this one at least."

"Maybe check the little library over there," Piper pointed. Frank took a turn and pulled. The door stayed shut.

Sophia sighed. "Let's keep looking."

They walked on trying every door they came across. No one wanted to break a window in case people did still live here. After all, ghost towns didn't have power. Not usually. Either way, Leo was beginning to feel uneasy about this place. Every once in a while they'd pass by a car or another business and there would be the same substance as that of the dead tree splattered along their base. There wasn't always very much, but it was there. It almost looked as if it had been a liquid at one time, hardening while slowly running down. And once he noticed it, he saw it everywhere. Strangely though, no one else was aware.

He stopped and kicked at a hardened portion gluing a tire to the road. "Hey guys? Do you know what this stuff is?"

They turned to look at him. Noticing the tire, Frank smirked. "A tire."

"No, no. The stuff _on_ the tire. It's like a foggy white."

Jason crouched down and examined it. He picked up a stick and poked at it. "Solid as a rock."

"Yeah. I've been seeing it everywhere here. It's almost like glue."

At that, they all craned their necks to see for themselves. Naturally, because they didn't know where to look, they didn't see any.

"Where?" Sophia asked. "I don't see any. Maybe it's got something to do with all the trash on the road."

He shook his head, a look on his face. "No, I don't think so. That tree back there by the gas station? It was covered in the exact same stuff."

"What tree?"

"The dead one. You didn't see it?"

They all shook their heads. Honestly. How could he be the only one to notice it?

"Really? It wasn't exactly small," he explained.

"I mean, it is kinda dark..." Olivia started.

"We'll keep a lookout," Jason told him with a reassuring nod. The group continued on but Leo stood there for a moment, staring at the substance. He didn't know what it was but he knew it wasn't normal. No trash looked like that. He was certain.

Eventually, after another few minutes, Piper tried a door to a grocery store. Surprisingly, instead of it rattling like all the others, this one opened, nearly throwing Piper off her feet. She didn't expect it to pull free.

"Hey," she said with a grin. "It's open."

"Great," Frank said and bolted inside. The others followed, Leo trailing the back.

The smell is what hit him first. The entire place smelled of wet moss and mold, reminding him of an old basement. Sure enough, furry green patches spotted the floor. Some even grew on the walls. The floors were wet with puddles and the signs for the isles were dangling from their chains like they were barely holding on. Some of the light fixtures on the ceiling were burnt out, evident by the black spots on the bulbs. Really, the whole place was in bad shape. Despite all this though, food was still displayed on the shelves. Sale signs advertised _**Buy One, Get Two** **Free**_. A single light shone above a lone till in the corner. No one stood there.

"Maybe we should leave a note to the owner saying they forgot to turn a light off," Leo smirked. "You think he'd be offended if I mention the moss?"

"He won't if no one lives here," Piper answered as she slowly walked further in. "What happened to this place? The whole town. It's deserted."

"Ida know, but if you ask me, it wasn't much of a place to live. It's surrounded by trees, cutting it away from the rest of civilization."

Jason gave him a deadpanned glare. " _We_ live in a place surrounded by trees and cut away from civilization."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but at least camp is cool."

Jason just looked at him.

"How long has the food been sitting there do you think?" he suddenly changed the topic.

Jason looked at the shelves. "I have no idea. Why?"

"I'm starved," and he made his way to the closest isle. Playing it safe, he stared with the canned and non-perishable foods.

"So, what? You're just going to take it?" Frank asked.

He nodded like he didn't have a problem. "Yup. And if you are seriously going to scold me for it, I'll remind you that this," he held up from the shelf, "is a can of soup. From a ghost town. I'm hungry."

"Well... I guess there isn't anything wrong, but..." Frank hesitated.

Piper looked at the son of Mars with a smirk. "You do realize you're dealing with someone who let his own kid steal from a toy store, right?"

They all looked at him with surprise. "You let one of my siblings _steal a toy from a toy store_?" Sophia asked incredulously.

He put his hands up defensively. "Hey! I didn't do anyth- Wait. What? I did that? I mean they did that? I mean... Really? I bet the toy was cool."

"Dad!"

"What? And _please_ don't call me that."

"You've got to be kidding me! Who stole the toy?"

"I don't know! It hasn't even happened yet! If it ever will! Gods! Maybe it's you!"

Trying hard to keep a chuckle in, Piper said, "It's Lily. Leo got a parking ticket and in return for her not saying anything to your mom, he didn't make her take the toy back."

"It could have been a really cool toy," he reasoned.

"It was a stuffed turtle," Piper added through her teeth.

Sophia crossed her arms as if she was the one in charge.

He smiled his charming little smile. "Turtles are cool."

"Honestly. You're lucky Mom didn't find out," she muttered.

"Guess so."

With their little conversation over, he turned away and continued to loot the grocery store. Soup, beans, mushrooms, corn. Then there was the crackers and granola bars. They all looked good. Soon enough all of them were taking advantage of the fully stocked shelves. Then he had an idea. Opening the pouch to his magic tool belt, he began throwing random non-perishables in, sometimes two at a time. The others all looked at him.

He froze just before stuffing another can of mushrooms in his belt. "What?"

"You think we're going to starve or what?" Jason asked him with a raised eyebrow.

He just shrugged. "You never know when you might need something to eat. Snacks. You need to be prepared."

"Whatever."

Soon enough, they were all sitting on a dry portion of the floor eating their stolen food. Sleeping bags were all rolled out. Piper was sitting in hers already, a box of crackers opened in her hands as she ate. They all talked and discussed who would take first watch. Seeing how he'd had a long rest before coming here, Leo volunteered to do the job. Besides, he was growing more and more suspicious of this town. Nothing added up. He wanted to make sure he was the one awake to keep watch. He at least saw more off that odd substance outside.

After about a half hour, the sky was now completely black. Stars were numerous and it would have been the perfect night to go stargazing with Calypso. Unfortunately, she was miles away babysitting their future son Milo. Even if he wanted to feel all mushy with emotion with his friends, everyone else was now fast asleep and tucked under their sleeping bags. He was the only one conscious. Actually, it was a little creepy to be alone here. Aside from the crickets chirping outside, there was no noise. Well, the light above the till made a quiet hum if you really paid attention. It made a great white noise along with the crickets. He could see himself falling asleep to that. Not now though. He needed to be awake.

To pass time, he pulled out a spool of thin craft wire from his tool belt and a pair of tweezers. With the small amount of light he got from the humming light in the far corner, he unraveled the wire and cut a decent-sized piece off. He wasn't really sure what it was he was going to make, but he was sure he'd find out sooner or later. That's how he created some of his contraptions. Like the Valdezinator, the musical instrument he gave Apollo. That was completely random and the god of music loved it. That had to count for something.

A little while into it, Leo had decided on making toy frogs; the kind where you press down on the little tab and they bounced up. He added a fourth to his little collection sitting at his feet and started a fifth. Halfway through it, he glanced up suddenly when he heard one of his friends shuffle onto their backs and make a sound somewhat like a moan. He didn't think much of it at first. After a short moment later though, the same person tossed again, mumbling about something. It looked like Liam was having a rough night. Leo kept an eye on him while he worked on his project, watching him toss and turn wildly. Just when he was about to get up and wake the poor guy, Liam bolted upright, his hands clutching his sleeping bag. He looked around frantically while breathing hard.

Leo set his uncompleted frog down with the others and quietly tiptoed around his friends to reach Liam. Placing his hand on his shoulder, the boy jumped a little but otherwise looked as if he was focusing on finding something.

"Hey, bud. You okay? Bad dream?" he asked him.

"It's dark out," he whispered back shakily. "It's dark out there."

"It is, but the street lights are all on. You afraid of the dark?"

He ignored his question and turned to look out the front doors. His forehead was wet with perspiration and his ears were flushed.

"It's alright, Liam," Leo tried to assure him all the while keeping his voice quiet for the others. "I won't let the darkness stay around." He held up his palm and created a small ball of fire. "See? I can make fire. I heard you can too. That's twice the light, dude. No darkness can get near; not when we're around. We're the hotstuff."

"I can't find it."

He furrowed his brows in confusion. "Find what?"

Once more, he pushed his question to the side and stood up, taking a few steps towards the doors. Leo copied his actions and stayed a few feet behind him. He wasn't really sure what to make of this or how far to push the guy. He knew he was pretty sensitive at times and didn't really want to end up causing some kind of scene.

Leo watched as the boy gripped his hair and then shake his head, almost like trying to get water out of his ears.

"Dude, are you okay?" he asked him, daring to edge nearer.

Liam pointed outside. "It's dark out there."

"Yeah, but don't you remember? We're the fire bros. We're like that guy in the _Fantastic 4_. You read comics, right?"

"I don't want us to be here," he muttered to him ready to cry, his eyes wet with tears. "Too big. It's too big."

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Leo almost laughed. "Have you seen the size of this town? It barely exists. Or are you a miniature town kind of guy?"

With visible emotion on his face, he raked his hair back with the tips of his fingers. "Where's Mom? It's dark out there."

"Mom? Where does _she_ fit into this?"

At that time, he was surprised to quickly find Liam clutching onto his arm in a tight grip. The welling tears were now streaming down the twelve-year-old's frightened face. He looked incredibly uneasy. "No place to hide, Dad. It's too dark. It's _big_."

Leo stared at him with no understanding of what was going on. "No place to hide? Big? What's big? What are you talking - "

Then it hit him.

Didn't Sophia and Olivia mention Liam having a sixth sense? One that involved sensing an unwanted monster hanging about, somewhat like a satyr? It was making a lot more sense now. Liam wasn't still living a nightmare even after waking. He was sensing something outside and was pretty freaked out about it. He should have known. The substance found littered around the town wasn't normal and it should have been the largest tell-tale sign that the place wasn't safe. Why in the world had Leo not urged his friends to leave the very minute he saw something out of the ordinary? Did that make him irresponsible?

"Okay," he tried talking calmly to the boy. "I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about. It's cool. Why don't the two of us take a look out the window, huh? See what this is all about."

Liam tugged on his arm and pulled him back. "No," he moaned. "He doesn't like us."

Leo tried for his famous devilish grin. "Oh, course he does. Everyone likes the Super Size McShizzle. Come on. I'll be right beside you."

Not liking it but seeming willing to look with him, Liam nodded and gript his arm a little tighter. "Okay."

"All right then." Together they slowly neared the doors making sure not to make any sudden moves. He wasn't exactly sure what it was Liam was sensing out there but not many monsters take kindly to the presence of demigods. If they were lucky, this one would be too dumb to actually accomplish what it was he was there to do. To kill them. He would be there to kill them. Obviously that has never happened to them so far, but it didn't mean they should put their guard down.

Eventually they found themselves staring outside. Liam was so close that his breath fogged up the glass.

There didn't seem to be anything particularly different. There were no noises, no new piles of that weird substance, and no odd shapes hiding in the shadows. The street light shown down on bare roads other than three vehicles parked in the parking lot. Oh. Wait. There was a cart too. The thing was lying on its side as if someone decided to pushed it over for no good reason. It didn't deserve to be treated that way. Poor cart.

"Do you know where it is?" Leo asked in a whisper.

"Out there," was all he shared.

"Great. 'Cause you know, I thought you meant it was somewhere under our feet," he mumbled sarcastically.

"It has wings."

"Wings?"

He nodded nervously. "Big ones."

"Gee. How big _is_ this thing?" Leo turned back to face his friends. "I think I'm going to wake the others. Don't want them to miss all the action, right?"

At that very moment, Leo saw movement from the corner of his eye. Liam clutched his hand and held his breath. Slowly turning his attention back outside, Leo found exactly what it was the guy was so scared of and he couldn't blame him. Standing not even three meters away was one of the ugliest monsters they've had to face. Just as Liam had told him, the thing had huge, leathery, black, bat wings that were all torn and full of holes. It made him wonder if the thing could even fly. His torso was covered in black fur while its eyes were a terrifying bright red, almost like literal headlights. Or tail lights. Except on his face. Whatever. They were red. Its teeth on the other hand were long yellow fangs, the tips chipped like serrated knives. Dripping down from them was a disgusting foggy white substance now pooling on the ground by its clawed feet. Guess he found the source for all those hardened piles of "glue". They were piles of bat drool. Gross.

"Well," Leo said as if it was just another day. "I guess I _really_ should wake the others now."

Slowly backing away, Leo let Liam continue to hold on to him as he edged towards their friends. He kicked one of the sleeping bags and made contact with a body. Sophia grunted and swatted him away. "What was that for? Go away."

"I have a quick question."

"What do you want?" she grumbled. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Are you afraid of bats?"

She sat up and stared at him. "What? No."

"Well you're going to be."

As if on cue, there was a high-pitched screech from outside loud enough to make their ears ring. With their hands over their ears, they watched as the others all sat up abruptly with panic, their hands over their ears as well. Liam cried out.

"What the hell?!" Piper shouted. "What was that? I think my ears are bleeding!"

Leo motioned outside, clearing his own ears. "I think I know the reason no one lives here anymore. A giant bat decided to claim the town."

All jumped to their feet as soon they saw its large body start banging against the doors. Its clawed wings scratched against the glass as is tried to get in, leaving it to screech once more in frustration.

"Gods!" Olivia complained "Darn echo location!"

"What do we do?" Sophia stared at Leo.

"Kill it," he answered simply. "Jason, Frank. You guys have any idea what we're dealing with 'cause I haven't seen this guy before."

"Neither have we," Jason muttered.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_ It's body rattled the whole set of doors. Signs advertising sale items above the doors swung on their chains.

"We have to think fast. I don't think the doors will hold for much longer."

"A second exit," Piper offered. "There has to be another way out of here."

Leo was more than grateful the power was still on because without it, he wouldn't have noticed the exit sign all the way across the store. "There!" he pointed out. Without discussing anything else, they all bolted in that direction, running through the isles and dodging stacked produce. Shortly after, they heard the sound of glass being broken along with a heavy body hitting the ground. Leo stopped and turned around. The giant bat had managed to break in. He watched as the top of its head became visible while it crawled back to its feet, reorienting itself. The bat's long ears easily rose above the isles.

A hand suddenly grabbed his shirt and tugged him away from the monster. "Come on!" Olivia shouted at him.

Leo broke out of his stare and ran with her. He'd noticed Liam was now running alongside Sophia, something he hadn't noticed earlier. He was still blubbering about it being dark outside. Eventually, they reached the exit sign. Sitting underneath it was a heavy backroom door with another sign saying _**Employees Only**_. Jason tried pulling it open but the metal knob didn't turn. Luck would have it that it was locked.

"Here," Leo pushed him aside hurriedly. "Let me try."

Ignoring another loud screech and the sound of grocery items being knocked over, Leo pulled out the spool of wire he'd used before from his tool belt and unraveled a bit. He then stuck the end into the lock and began jiggling it around, hoping he would be able to unlock it fast enough. "Someone distract him!" he shouted over cans crashing to the ground.

Jason pulled out his sword at the same time Piper pulled out her dagger. Sophia looked panicked about not having a weapon. "I don't have anything," she uttered.

"Me neither," Olivia stared at them.

"What can you do?" Jason asked the girls. "What are your powers?"

"I can create fire just like Dad."

"And I can control the winds," Sophia offered.

"Great. Just use those."

"Or," Leo cut in, still jimmying the lock. "You both can each grab a hammer from my belt _and_ use your powers."

With hammers in hand, they looked back at the others. "What do we do now?" Sophia asked.

"We distract," Frank muttered and took on the form of a leopard. Jason nodded once and gript his sword a little tighter.

"You girls along with Liam can stay back and protect Leo. He needs someone to watch his back," Jason informed before running off after Frank and Piper.

"Wow," Leo grumbled. "If I wasn't busy trying to unlock a door, I'd say that was pretty insulting."

Almost immediately, he heard shouts from his friends as they attacked the monster. Screeches followed along with glass breaking. The battle was on. He couldn't see what was happening behind his back but tried to keep his attention on working on the door. Time wasn't something they had a lot of at the moment.

"How long does it usually take to pick a lock?" Sophia asked anxiously at his side. Liam was mumbling to himself still.

"A few seconds," he answered with frustration. "If you're doing it right."

He heard her swallow, knowing she was looking back at the fight. "Are you sure you're doing it right then?"

"Yes. How do you think I survived before I got to camp? I've probably picked more locks than you can count."

"Then why is it not -"

"Dammit!" he cut her off and pulled the wire back out. The end was a mangled mess. It was too bent to be of any use anymore. "The wire's too thin. It's not strong enough."

"Isn't there anything else in your belt that can help?" Olivia suggested.

"Maybe." As he dug his hand in again to exchange the wire for another tool, there was another loud crash from behind them. Olivia muttered something under her breath and held her hammer with two hands.

"Aha!" he cheered. "Scissors! I've picked a lock with a pair before."

"Then hurry up!" she cried out, patting him repeatedly on the shoulder.

"Chill, Liv, okay?" he muttered fitting the tip into the slot. "I've got this."

"Frank! Watch out!" Piper shouted out from behind them just before another crash sounded. There was a roar and then a growl, the big guy probably not happy with the giant bat. Scraping noises could be heard as the monster's clawed wings dragged across the floors. It was pretty hard for Leo not to take a quick glance back to see how his friends were doing, but he knew he had a task to do and looking behind would slow him down.

He wiggled the tip of the scissors frantically, trying to hear it unlock. It took a little while, but eventually, _finally_ , he heard the click. "Got it!" he shouted as he pulled the scissors out. The girls cheered at his side. He grabbed the handle and turned it with ease. Opening the door, Leo suddenly stopped himself short from bolting into the supply room.

"Whoa!" he breathed with surprise.

The thee kids glanced over his shoulder with the same shock. "Well this is unexpected," Sophia muttered.

"You've got that right."

Like they had anticipated, the door that led out of the building was on the other side of the room, it's exit sign cracked. Nevertheless, it was there and they would have had a direct path to it if it had not been for the giant-sized nest taking most of the floor room. The ceiling was all torn apart leaving a massive hole where the light of the moon shone down on three not-so-little baby bats who all sat staring at the four of them intently. Like it's mother out there fighting with the others, their eyes gave off that terrifying red glow and their teeth looked dangerously sharp for an infant's. All in all, these babies looked like killing machines.

"This ain't good," Leo mumbled.

* * *

 **Yup. Another cliffhanger for you all. :) You're welcome. Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!**

 **Chapter 20 ( _20 omg!)_ is on the way!**

 **~supworld-issa-tiger~**


	20. Chapter 20

**So, I know I haven't updated this story in forever... The other stories have kinda had my attention a little more. : l  
**

 **Also, I realized a while ago that in my last chapter, I had accidentally forgot that Olivia, Sophia, and Liam all had swords strapped to their waists, and so I made them take refuge in hammers from Leo's tool belt. Oops! It happens to even the best authors sometimes! (I know this for a fact, by the way. They admit forgetting what eye color their own characters have XD) So, let's just pretend that they had just unsheathed their swords instead of grabbing a couple hammers. Swords! They have their own swords! *blushes***

 **And, since we haven't looked back at camp for a while, let's make it happen in this chapter! Sorry, but the cliffhanger for the battle at the grocery store will be put to the side for a moment.**

 **Yay! Here we go!**

* * *

 **~Calypso's POV~**

Calypso didn't know what it would be like to have a child of her own until the others left on their quest and put Milo under her care. Actually, they hadn't said anything about putting her specifically in charge of him, but she felt it was her responsibility before the rest of camp's. She was uncertain why she felt so strongly about it, but she did. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Milo looked so much like Leo that she was compelled to take care of him, or maybe because he had taken such a liking to Leo that she couldn't help herself. Whatever it was, looking after a four-year-old child was an adventure of its own. Having spent a few thousand years on a deserted island without a soul other that the odd hero to visit for a while, she had little to no practice with children. She'd admit one thing though: she wasn't cut out for Milo's energy. He was ADHD, that much she was sure, but even being able to handle Leo's energy, she found Milo a little much. Granted, he was quiet at the start, what with having his sisters and brother abandon him, but he seemed to warm up quickly, especially to her. It was actually quite surprising how quickly he became attached. Even though she had never spent any one-on-one time with him before his siblings left, he was glued to her side like he was more than comfortable to be around her, like he had known her his whole life. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.

"Would you like to play again?" she asked while gathering the cards back into a neat deck.

"No," Milo shook his head and gave her his cards. "I wanna play dominoes!"

They'd been sitting at the coffee table in the Big House all afternoon playing games to help keep his energy down. At the moment, they had just finished playing a round of Crazy Eights, one of the few modern games she knew how to play. Apparently though, he was better at it than her. He'd won 5-2 and finished with a toothy smile.

"Dominoes? I don't think I know that one. You'll have to teach me."

He gave her a funny expression. She couldn't help but chuckle at his adorable big eyes. "Yes you do! We play it all the time!"

"I'm afraid not, Milo. I've never heard of this dominoes before."

Flopping himself onto the face of the coffee table, he looked up at her quizzically, his one eyebrow raised. "Are you teasing me, Mommy?"

Still feeling uncomfortable with the whole "mommy" thing, she shook her head. "No. Do you play it with your sisters?"

"Sophie loves playing with me. Livy and Noah aren't good at it though."

"Noah?" she asked puzzled. "You have another brother? Did he not come with you and your other siblings? I thought it was just the four of you."

Very suddenly, he became quiet as he looked down at his hands without saying anything. His entire expression changed as if he had said something he regretted, like someone flipped a switch. He was remembering something, that much was clear, and it was bothering him. It must have been pretty serious to have changed him so quickly. Eventually though, after watching him sit there in silence, he looked back up at her for a few seconds before dropping his gaze again. "Are you feeling yucky, Mommy?" he asked with a uncharacteristic tone.

"Am I feeling... No. Why would you say that?"

"Some mornings you say you feel yucky."

Calypso was beginning to understand why Leo had seemed uncomfortable around the new kids at first. Milo has been blurting out random things like that ever since he and the rest had left. At this point though, she usually just shrugged and went with it. "Well, I'm not feeling yucky today," she smiled. "Now I don't know where this game of dominoes would be. Is it a card game too?"

His timid expression faded enough for him to stand up with determination. "No. I know where it is. Follow me."

Calypso quickly got up and followed the small boy trotting down the hall until he reached a door where they had found the cards they were playing with. With his little hands, he twisted the handle and opened it and searched the shelves of games in the closet.

Was it curious to know that Milo seemed to already know where everything was without having been here before? Calypso was still learning where to find things in this ginormous camp, and here comes this little boy with a unique sense of direction. Maybe it had something to do with his godly parent.

Soon he seemed to have found what he was looking for as he reached on his tiptoes, a box on the middle shelf, and brought it down. Sure enough, the box read _**Dominoes**_.

"Well, I guess you found it, didn't you?" she smiled.

"Yup."

After bringing them to the front room and going through the rules (apparently you were supposed to line them all up and knock them down again?) they cleared a path on the floor and got to work. As they worked, she thought it was a good time to possibly ask the questions that were starting to form in her mind.

"So, Milo," she started lightly. "Tell me. How many brothers and sisters do you really have?"

Lying on his tummy, he paused after balancing two dominoes so they were standing on their own. Holding out his fists, he began counting with his fingers. "Liam, Sophia, Olivia, Noah, Lily, baby Celine, Antia..." He held his hands out for her. "Seven. That was an easy one."

"Seven siblings?" she asked completely baffled. "How in the world could your parents fall for one another eight times? Gods never have more than one child with a mortal..." Surely, she knew that it was impossible. Zeus would have punished the parents rather seriously if that were the case. To have that much of a distraction... They couldn't be Zeus's children, could they?

"Are you sure?" she asked him again.

He nodded and continued to line the black and white dominoes back to back. "I counted."

"And you all have the same mom and dad?"

Again, he nodded.

"This makes no sense. Milo, where do you live?"

"I live in a big house with you and the others. Uncle Frank and Aunt Hazel live with us too because the baby cries a lot and you feel yucky all the time. Emmett and Samuel share our rooms too."

"And who are they?"

"Our friends." He paused in thought. "Mommy, are they our cousins or our friends?"

She answered his question with her own. "Why do you keep calling me 'Mom', Milo?"

"Because you're my mommy," he replied like it was obvious. There wasn't a doubt in his mind, which started to confuse her even more. A child, especially of that age, would _know_ who his mother was. Even infants can see the difference comparing similar people. He'd done the same to Leo as well by calling him "Daddy". What was going on?

"You think I'm your mom?" she asked carefully. "And Leo is your dad?"

He giggled. "You're funny when you pretend you don't know."

That statement made her head swim, but not because she believed him. It was more like, what if - and she was just supposing - that what he had been telling her, was all true? What would that mean? She hadn't had any children in her entire existence and she was pretty sure Leo hadn't either. Therefore, it was impossible that they were really Milo's parents. But if they were, for some reason, then that would mean Sophia, Liam, and Olivia, along with four others, were their kids as well. If they were married and a lot older, it made sense if you were looking at it from a god's view because she and Leo weren't gods. And...

But wait a minute. How was it that Milo, Sophia, and Olivia all looked so much like Leo? And Liam... she had to admit the similarities she and that twelve-year-old shared were shocking.

No. None of that was possible. Milo is only a child. As she had admitted earlier. It was impossible. She hadn't had children. For goodness sake, Sophia was only 2 years younger than her and Leo! It was impossible.

But... about the fact that they called all her friends aunts and uncles... And what was with Leo and the new kids all suddenly became very close in a short amount of time? They had been sent here by a god... or something. There was something going on Leo hadn't wanted to tell her about, and everyone else seemed to respect his wishes. She was the only one out of all their friends that wasn't there for that meeting about the quest.

Hazel also told her about how much was sitting on Leo's shoulders right now. What was it?

"Mommy? Do you still want to play?"

Calypso noticed that she had spaced out. Milo was staring at her questioningly while holding the last two dominoes in each hand. She had only placed a few. "Oh. Yes. Sorry." Balancing them the same as he had told her to, she looked up at him again, this time with curiosity. "Can you tell me more about your father? What's he like?"

" _Papi_ says I'm his _pequeño gemelo_ because I look like him. He teases me a lot and he's really funny. Don't you remember, Mommy?" he asked with that uncharacteristic tone again. "Daddy and Noah went away for a long time. Everyone was crying. That's why Aunt Hazel and Uncle Frank came. They were crying too. I asked you and Aunt Hazel where they went and when they would be coming back." He placed his last dominoes down and went on. "You said they weren't coming back, but _Papi_ did..." He became quiet. "But now their gone again. Mommy, where did everyone go? Why do they keep leaving?"

It took a moment for her to process all of that. _Pequeño gemelo_ meant "little twin" in Spanish. And that's exactly what he looked liked; Leo's little twin. He was even quite small for his age. However, talking about how his father and brother went away for a long time made her think that maybe he was confused about who his father was anymore. And after having his other siblings leave him like they did must have really hurt him. He didn't understand. _She_ didn't understand. He was so convinced that she and Leo were his parents and it broke her heart to see how confused he was. None of this made sense and she only wished she could pacify him.

"Milo," she suddenly said. "How did you get here?"

" _Abuelo_ (Grandpa) gave us a funny car. It went really fast."

"A funny car," she repeated. "Where is it?"

"In the trees." Then he slapped his hand over his mouth with big eyes. "It's a secret!"

Okay. That did it. She couldn't take it anymore. She needed to have a word with Hazel. Standing, she picked Milo up into her arms. "I need to find someone. Is it alright if you play with Annabeth for a little while?"

"Where are you going?" he asked with a whine. "I don't want you to go! Where did Dad and the others go? Are you going away too? Mommy, please don't go!" he began to sob.

"Oh, Milo, don't worry. I'm not leaving you. I'm coming back, I promise. I just need to talk to someone."

"You're coming back?"

"Yes. I need to talk to Hazel. Annabeth can play dominoes with you until I get back."

Wiping his nose, he seemed to calm down a bit. It was sad how damaging all this was making him. He was only four years old and was already forming insecurities. Now she had another reason to get mad at Leo. This child was hurting.

Finding Annabeth in her cabin, she knocked on the wall to get her attention. She was hovered over a book at her desk, reading whatever she was reading, but quickly turned around to see who was there. "Oh, hi, Calypso. Come in."

"Sorry to bother you, but could you look after Milo for a short while. I have something I need to do."

She smiled at him. "Sure thing."

"Thanks so much," and she handed him into Annabeth's arms. Milo clung to her shirt even though he seemed to want to go with Calypso. Still, he stayed with Annabeth. "I'll come back later."

"Sure," and she went to set him on her bed. Calypso left before hearing what they began talking about. She needed to know what was going on, if not for her own sake, then for Milo's. He needed to know what was going on. It was affecting him more than they knew.

Searching high and low all over the camp, she finally found Hazel working on her archery with Percy. It was an odd place to find them because neither of them were good with the bow. Actually, other than the Apollo kids, not many campers were good at it. On the contrary, she managed to strengthen her ability as well as Leo, mostly because they had the chance to join a quest with the god of archery himself. He shared with them a few tips and their aim and distance improved tremendously, but they still had work to do when they compared to the Apollo cabin.

Anyway, the two of them were discussing something between themselves when they spotted Calypso heading their way. Lowering their bows, they turned to her.

"Hey, Cal," Percy said cheerfully. "What's up?"

" _Leo_ is the only person allowed to call me that," she started hotly with a pointed finger.

Taken by surprise, he raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry."

"Hi, Calypso," Hazel smiled amusingly. "You look like you've got something on your mind."

"I do," she admitted with a bit of anger. "I was talking with Milo just now and I've decided that I want to know the truth. Don't worry, I know that Leo could possibly be pissed if you tell, but you can blame it on me. I want to know. No more secrets."

Looking a little flustered with her sudden, angry demand, Hazel met Percy's eyes for support. She began to fan herself, not know what to do or say to her.

"Well that was straight to the point," Percy commented as he put his free hand in his pocket, the other holding onto his bow. He shifted on his feet a second and stole another glance at the daughter of Pluto. "Look, it's pretty messy. There's a lot to it and we don't even know all the details. We're coming from the sidelines of all of this, so the information that we _do_ have shouldn't be taken as gospel."

"I don't care. I just want to know what you know. That child back there is being affected by it. He can't handle being alone."

He bit his cheek. "Leo made us promise not to tell you. He didn't want you to start worrying."

"I'm already worried! It's not easy waiting back here while he and our friends are out there trying to win a battle I know nothing about! To go on a quest to stop something that hasn't even shown to be a threat to us! To have no direct destination other than all of Canada! I need to know, and Milo needs to know! What's going on?"

The two looked at each other again in thought. It must have been a pretty serious thing they were hiding because there was a lot of hesitation. What was that meeting all about? Why wasn't the whole camp able to know?

Finally though, once they were given the chance to think it over, Percy motioned to put his bow away. "Fine. We'll tell you, but there is a high chance you won't believe us."

"I'm pretty sure I will, not matter how crazy it is."

"If you say so," he muttered. "Let's meet at the beach. We'll tell you everything we know there."

* * *

A short while later, they sat in the sand before the crashing waves of the water. Hazel seemed nervous as she played with her strands of hair, avoiding eye contact. Being forced to tell her everything, even after being ordered by Leo not to say anything to Calypso, was very much against her nature. She was uncomfortable with breaking a promise. Calypso didn't like making her feel that way, but she couldn't help it. This was something that needed to be shared.

Next to her, Percy sat down and crossed his legs. He said nothing for a while, showing that he didn't seem to know where to start. She decided to help him out. "How did they get here?" she started.

He squinted his eyes in thought, and sighed. "I'm going to be blunt but 100% honest with you."

"Alright. I'm ready."

Looking her in the eyes, he said, "They came in a time machine."

That sentence nearly made her choke on her own saliva. "Excuse me? You're making that up."

He shook his head. "I saw it with my own eyes. We were in the woods playing Capture the Flag and they appeared pretty much right in front of us."

"They just appeared? Out of thin air? As in they weren't there a moment ago and then they showed up?"

"Well, how else would they appear?"

"And who's 'we'? Who saw this happen?"

"Leo and I were talking as we tried to protect our side from the other team, when all of a sudden we saw an intense light, followed by a mechanical sound. We went to check it out and... well, Leo didn't really see it the way I did, mostly because he stepped into his own trap and was hung from a tree -" She opened her mouth to say something, but he waved that part away. "- But there was a huge Celestial Bronze machine in the middle of an opening and the four kids stepped out. They started by asking us what year we were in and then the month. Really, it was pretty odd and I thought it was all a big joke at first. Of course though, that was before they noticed Leo and Milo ran and clung to him calling him 'Dad'."

It was a struggle to swallow. It was a struggle to breathe. The things that had happened, the things that Milo had told her... Could there really be a time machine? Feeling rather sick, she put her hands up as if surrendering to something. "Did they _tell_ you they were from the future? Like, do you have _proof_?" she asked unevenly, trying very hard to form her words properly. She was starting to panic.

"They called for a meeting," Hazel said, taking a turn. "Before it though, we were informed that Piper's episode that night was because she was having abnormal dreams. Once we got to the meeting, we found out that Piper's dreams were actually connected to the kids. She shared what she had dreamed about and compared to what Sophia and her siblings shared about their own lives. Turns out, Piper had been having dreams about them... about the _future_."

"The future," Calypso echoed and rested her head in her hands, feeling very dizzy. "Oh gods. I don't understand!"

"I told you it was pretty hard to believe," Percy told her.

"But you know the worst part is that it makes _so much sense_!"

Percy and Hazel looked at each other in confusion.

"Did you hear about this before somehow?" Hazel asked slowly. "No one told you anything about it, did they?"

"Milo," she said plainly. "I was talking with him just now and said that his _a_ _buelo_ sent them in a fast car. That would have to be Hephaestus, which makes perfect sense since he works with machines. Also, Milo kept talking as if he knew me and I was a part of his life. And Leo... He looks _so much_ like him. Ever since they left, Milo keeps insisting that..." Hazel put a hand on her shoulder as she began to shake her head with wide eyes. "I just can't understand why this is all happening! Sophia, Olivia... they can't all be... I mean, if they're from the _future_... they can't _possibly_ be..."

"Your future kids?" Percy finished for her.

She turned her attention to him with shock. "It's true isn't it? A-and there's more of them, right? Lily, Noah... and whoever else...?" The silence they had confirmed her answer, though it was probably because of their own shock that she knew so much of it already. She rested her face in her hands and sighed shakily. "That's why Leo has been acting so strange; why he became so close to all of them." She laughed a little bit. Honestly, she didn't really think she could laugh at a time like this. "I feel so foolish now, feeling upset with him for not paying attention to me."

"Yeah, we all kinda felt bad for hiding it from you," Hazel uttered with a small smile, her shock still there nonetheless. "I think he didn't want to spoil the surprise."

"Well the surprise is out," she chuckled with shock. "I just want to know why they left. What's going _on_?"

With more hesitation, the two of them shared everything they knew about the quest; about the monsters, about the threat to the Seven, about Leo and Apollo's plea to help their family... and even the heart-breaking reality that Leo and Noah don't make it through a future attack. That part was the hardest to hear, but it also brought a new sense of determination to her. To know that there really was a threat out there that would someday ruin her life and the lives of all her friends, made her feel as though she needed to do something too. Leo left her and Milo behind because he didn't want anything to happen to them. The girls had traveled back in time (she was still trying to wrap her mind around that one) to fix the future... or their past... whatever, so that their father - which just so happened to be _Leo_ \- and their brother wouldn't be killed. It was actually rather surprising to her how well she was taking all this, but while talking with Milo about his family, it was so obvious, that it was impossible to think any other way now. And now that she knew, she felt she had a new responsibility in all of this.

"We need to help them," she suddenly declared. "I don't know why Leo felt he couldn't tell me, but now that I know, I need to help."

"Calypso, they already left," Hazel told her. "There isn't anything you can do now. We need to wait. That's all we can do."

" _Wait_?!" she nearly shouted. "I've been waiting my entire life! If I'm not confined to this camp, I'm helping! This has to do with my family!"

Percy looked at her with curiosity. "And how will that work? We don't even know where they're headed."

"We'll find a way."

* * *

There was a long argument with Chiron later that day. After the hour of convincing, Calypso managed to come to an agreement with him. Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, and Milo would head out looking for the others tomorrow morning to help them on their quest. They would IM them after breakfast to see where they were and where they were headed. From there, they would join their group and defeat these beasts the others were talking about. They will build their own army.

For now though, Calypso was helping Milo get ready for bed. Helping him out of his day time clothes, she brought out his space onesies he had come in. The entire time she helped him, she couldn't stop thinking of the fact that this child standing in front of her was her own. And the fact that he had such strong Latino genes proved that she would one day marry Leo, the only person to have ever shown true dedication to her; the only person who was clever enough and loved her enough to find a way back from the dead for her. How he pulled that off, she still didn't know, but seeing the after effects of his dedication to her made her almost want to weep with happiness. She almost wasn't upset with him anymore.

"Now, Milo," she said gently, "you have to go straight to sleep tonight, okay? We're going on a trip tomorrow and you need your rest."

"Where are we going tomorrow, _Mamá_?" Milo asked with a yawn as he put his arm into his onesie.

The once awkward feeling she had about him calling her mom now turned into a strange comfort to her. She smiled at him lovingly and kissed his cheek. "We're going to find your _Papi._ "

A bright smile spread across his face with pure excitement. "Really?! And Sophia and Olivia and Liam too?!"

"Yes. Them too."

"Am I coming with you?"

She zipped up his pajamas and lifted him onto his bed. "Of course you are. We're not leaving you again. You're coming with us."

"Are we taking the fast car? Mommy, it goes really fast!"

"No, Milo. We're taking Festus and Blackjack. They go fast too."

Now being tucked under his blankets, he looked up at her with his big, brown eyes. "Can I ride on Festus this time? You never let me ride him."

"As long as I'm sitting with you. I don't want you falling off."

He rolled his eyes, which looked incredibly adorable coming from a four-year-old. "You always say that."

Calypso laughed at him. "Milo! Now go to sleep, alright? We have a very busy day tomorrow."

"Okay," he yawned again, this time rubbing his eyes. " _Noche mamá_ (Night, mom)"

Leaning in, she kissed his forehead and stood up. "Goodnight, Milo." Then, walking out of the room quietly, she let out a sigh and smiled to herself. She was glad she knew the truth now. She could understand the reason why Leo didn't want to tell her anything about it, but he also didn't realize that if she knew, she and the others they left behind could offer support and aid in the fighting. What to do with Milo though was still an issue to be solved. Chiron was very much against the idea of a child as small as him being brought on a quest as dangerous as this. Still, there was absolutely no way she was about to leave him behind. After showing how much hurt it caused him to have everyone leave him like that, she couldn't do it to him again. And who would she leave him with? He didn't seem to trust anyone other than her and her friends, the only people leaving for this quest.

Chiron might not like it, but Milo was coming and that was the end of that.

Unfortunately, after saying goodnight to the boy all tucked under the blankets and then joining the campfire, Calypso and the rest were unaware of the battle their friends were facing that night. They were unaware that they had been trapped inside an abandoned grocery store with several bat-like creatures, and they were unaware that some of their friends might just be glued to the spot with fright... quite literally. Waiting for the morning to leave might have been a mistake on their part.

* * *

 **She knows now! Have you been waiting for it? If you have, I hopefully just made your day. As always, enjoy the cliffhanger until I have time to update again. :)**

 **Cheerio!  
**

 **~supworld-issa-tiger~**


	21. Announcement

**Hi guys. Supworld here.**

 **As you can tell, this isn't actually the next chapter to the story. I apologize if I disappoint you, but I feel like I should give you a heads up on what's happening with this story.**

 **So, basically, I'm going away in the fall which is near coming. I'm trying hard to continue with my stories now that I finally have a computer, however with hectic life, it isn't going so easily with three stories on the go. I've tried to sit and force myself to write even when I was not in the right mood, and it never turned out. Nothing was written. This story has been especially difficult since it's a much broader story line and I don't have as strong of an outline for it. I kept it free because I want to throw a bunch of curve balls into the plot. I've come to learn the hard way that without the time I need for it, writing a story that way and also trying to juggle two others, isn't something I'm wanting to do at the moment.** **Therefore, I'm making an announcement: _I will not be able to update this particular story for a while._ It's too big of a project for me and I haven't had it all planned out far enough yet. My other stories, _A LIGHT IN THE DARK_ and _A THOUSAND WAYS TO LIVE_ are holding a lot more of my attention right now. Unlike this one, I know what's going to happen. I know what I've got planned for them, and I'm most excited about those guys. So with that, _SOMEDAY_ will be set on the back burner for a period of time. But don't worry. I want to pick it up again as soon as I can. I just need the time.**

 **I apologize for disappointing any you by this announcement. I don't want to, but I feel you guys will understand my situation.**

 **To** MyBlueSky: **Thank you so much! When I read your comment, my heart felt warm. That was really sweet of you to say! Have I mentioned how grateful I am for such amazing reviewers?** **And I'm so glad you enjoy my other story too! I will be updating that one again as soon as I finish it. You have a great day/night too! :D**

 **Up to this point, thank you all for your comments and encouragement with this story! If it wasn't for you, I don't know if I would've actually considered continuing this story. But knowing the feedback I get from it is keeping me eager to finish it. To complete it. I don't want to abandon _SOMEDAY_ and don't plan to.**

 **Anyway, thanks for understanding.**

 **And if you have not checked out my other stories, _A LIGHT IN THE DARK_ and _A THOUSAND WAYS TO LIVE,_ I'll invite you to! **

**Signing off,**

 **~supworld~**


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